By The Light Of The Moon
by Neo Draco
Summary: Sequel to Night Life, As Ami settles down into motherhood, a former ally-turned-enemy steps from the shadows to keep an oath
1. Prologue

Usagi loped as fast as she could up the steep trail. She had tried to hide it, had tried to ignore the warning signs. Right in the middle of a meeting, she had Changed. At first, it felt like she had to go to the bathroom, really badly. But then, she realized something was horribly wrong when she had stood up and bumped her head on the low ceiling. Mamoru had stared at her, eyes full of disbelief, as she Changed into his, and her, worst nightmare. She had realized she was in trouble when she saw various members of their group loading weapons.

That was an hour ago.

Damn Ami and her twisted sense of justice. Damn her and her brood.

Usagi twisted, ducking behind a large boulder as gunfire rang out. She had been spotted by her pursuers. And Mamoru, the man she had loved, led the hunt. They would have her or die trying.

But they would never have her. She had sworn, years before, to destroy the Mizuno-Vega family and she had every intention of fulfilling that oath.

She took off into the night, dodging between trees and over debris. She had to get home. She had a few things she needed to do before the hunt for Ami could begin.


	2. Saeko and Ramon

Ami couldn't believe it. The day had finally arrived. Today, she would be leaving her homeland for a new home. Today, the Mizuno-Vega family was leaving Oso's tiny townhouse in Juuban for his childhood home outside of San Francisco, California. The children were beside themselves with excitement but it was Ami who felt like she was going to pee. She had spoken of nothing else for the past week. Asking questions, and questions, and more questions until she had nearly driven her husband insane.

"You'll see it when we get there." was all he ever said on the subject.

"Is that it?" He asked as she set the last box down at his feet for him to seal.

"Everything." She replied, watching Saeko and Ramon make _another_ lap through the room. Ami and Oso were encouraging the children's antics. The more they played, the more likely that they would sleep on the plane ride across the Pacific.

They would arrive a day or so before the rest of their belongings. Oso's cousin, Raul, would be meeting them at the airport when they arrived the next day and taking them up to the house. The children would be starting school in the autumn. Ami would be starting her internship at the local hospital and Oso would be leading the Night Stalker unit. Everything was falling into place.

Saeko squealed and Oso leaned past Ami, "What did I tell you about pulling your sister's hair?" He yelled, "We don't pull hair!"

"They're going to drive each other insane on the ride over there." Ami muttered.

"Hopefully, they'll be asleep by the time we get take off." He replied.

"Now, are you sure Raul's going to mmph!" Ami's question was cut off as Oso, playfully, pasted a strip of tape over her lips.

"Don't worry, babe. Hubby's got everything in hand. It's all taken care of." He assured her as she peeled the tape away.

"I just don't want to be stranded over there." She replied, "Have you got the luggage together?"

"Yes, dear."

"And did you call Setsuna so she can give us a ride to the airport?"

"Yes, dear."

"And the girls? They'll be upset if they miss us."

"Yes, dear. They'll meet us at the airport at three o'clock sharp to say their bon voyages."

Sighing, Ami flopped down on the sofa. After all of the frantic packing, to be stuck with nothing to do three hours before they left for the airport seemed anticlimactic.

Suddenly, she remembered something that needed to be done before they even thought about leaving. Ami leaped to her feet and raced off in the direction she saw her husband disappear in, "Oso!" she cried, "We need to Change!"

l-l-l-l

Thirty minutes later found the family running wild in the backyard. A high wooden fence kept them out of sight of nosy neighbors.

As with humans, daughters of were-creatures took after their fathers in appearance while sons looked like their mothers. Such was the case with Saeko the werebear and Ramon the werewolf.

Control over the natural urges to Change was not instinctive but had to be taught, rather like potty training, with patience and praise. As such, Ami made certain that, before every outing, her children Changed in the safety and privacy of their yard.

With a playful growl, Saeko tackled her brother, rolling in the grass with him while Ami and Oso watched, ready to referee if things began to get a little too rough. Oso laughed as Ramon bounced off of the fence to come back at his sister with a full-body flying tackle, knocking her to the ground.

Ami wrapped her arms around her husband's waist, "They're so cute when they're like this. We should have more."

"I ready when you are." He replied.

"More what?" Ramon asked, sitting at her feet.

Both cubs had inherited their mother's prodigious intelligence and work ethic. Even at the age of seven, they spoke Japanese, English, and Spanish fluently and were reading at a high-school level.

"Are you two done? You still need to take your baths."

"_Mama_." the cubs wailed in unison.

"Now, cubs. Listen to your mother. If she says it's time for a bath, then it's bath time." Oso gently chided.

Both cubs turned and leaped, trying to make a break for the fence. Oso snagged Ramon by the tail and dragged him back while Ami snatched Saeko up.

"I declare it to be bath time." Oso announced.

"I agree."

And together, they dragged the struggling, wailing, cubs back into the house.

l-l-l-l

"Mama," Saeko began as Ami helped her daughter dress, "What's that thing that Ramon has?"

"What thing?"

"That little thing that hangs down between his legs."

"That's called a penis, honey." Ami said. She always felt that, with her children, honesty was the best policy.

"Do I have a penis?" Saeko asked.

"No."

"Do you?"

Ami suppressed the urge to laugh, "No, baby."

"Does Daddy?"

"Yes, Saeko. Daddy has a penis."

"How do you _know_ if Daddy has a penis? Have you seen it?"

Ami tried not to blush, she really did, but she failed miserably. She thought it wonderful that her daughter was always asking questions, always wanting to learn. However, sometimes, she wished Saeko would know when to shut up, "Yes, darling. Mama has seen Daddy's penis." Boy, had she ever.

"Did you see it when you had_ sex_?" Saeko said the word as if she was trying to sneak something dirty past her mother's Momdar.

"Now, Saeko. Who told you about sex?"

"Uncle Haruka."

Ami made a face, "Well, I'm going to have to have a talk with your Uncle Haruka about inappropriate subjects."

"Mama, does Uncle Haruka have a penis?"

"No, Saeko. Uncle Haruka does not have a penis."

"So, that would mean she's a girl." Saeko concluded.

"Yes."

"Only, Keiko said that a girl can't be an Uncle. So, why isn't Uncle Haruka an Aunt."

"Because Uncle Haruka dresses, looks, and acts like a man." Ami explained patiently.

"_Was_ Uncle Haruka a man?"

Oh how Ami loved these modern times when people could change their sex, almost, at the drop of a hat, "I don't think so." Ami admitted, "Though I wouldn't be surprised." she muttered.

"Mama, What's California like?"

"I don't know. I've never been to California."

"But Daddy has."

"That's right. Daddy was born in California, in the city of San Francisco."

"Where is San Francisco."

"I'm not exactly sure. In somewhere called the Bay area. Do you know the picture of the big red bridge that Daddy has?"

"Yes."

"That's called the Golden Gate Bridge. That's in San Francisco."

Oso stuck his head into the room, "Setsuna's here. Let's rock and roll."

Ami handed Saeko her backpack, grabbed her duffel bag and they were on their way.


	3. Three Thousand Miles

The airplane was silent, the lights dim, as various passengers slept here on the early side of midnight and the eastern side of the Pacific. Ami sat up, quietly reading a novel and idly stroking her daughter's soft hair, breathing in the wonderful baby scent. She removed her hand long enough to adjust her glasses and turn the page.

Her vision had begun to deteriorate in recent years and, now, she needed her glasses constantly as she grew more and more far-sighted. At first, she worried about what her husband might think but, he was fine with it. In truth, he had confided in her that he found a woman wearing glasses to be amazingly attractive.

With a sigh, she replaced her bookmark, stowed her glasses, and tried to get some sleep. She knew that, in the coming days, she would need all of the rest she could get. But, she had never been able to sleep in a moving vehicle. Plane, train, car; it didn't matter, her eyes would always open themselves. Also, the memory of the revelation of Makoto's parent's death still haunted her. She didn't want the same fate for her family. What sane person would?

Across the aisle, Oso grunted in his sleep, his hands balling into fists. He, occasionally, fought some unseen foe in his dreams and could get quite violent. There was the occurrence, once or twice, that he had, accidentally, struck her hard enough to leave a mark. With a degree of trepidation, Ami eyed Ramon, asleep with his head resting in his father's lap. She worried that he might hurt the boy and never even realize it.

Carefully, she reached across the aisle and swatted his arm, "Wake up!" she hissed.

He woke with a start. Every time this happened, his wide eyes would, briefly, search out his attacker before he calmed down a bit. He rubbed his face and shook his head, brushing away the last strands of sleep.

"You okay?" she asked

He nodded, "Yeah."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. I'm fine." He smiled as he took her hand, "Almost there."

"I still can't believe they wouldn't let us take our toothbrushes." she complained.

He chuckled, "Perhaps they thought we'd use them to hijack the plane."

Ami snorted, "Turn this plane around now or I'll clean your teeth so well, your dentist will never recognize you."

"That wasn't half as much fun as being groped, I'll bet."

She blushed at the memory of the female security officer pressing the back of her hands to Ami's crotch, "Was that really necessary?"

"Well, after that guy tried to use his underwear to bomb a plane."

"Are you serious? Somebody actually tried to use their underwear to bomb a plane?"

"And his pants caught fire from all of the chemicals."

Ami snorted out a laugh, trying to be quiet. "That's ridiculous. I can't believe how stupid some people act."

"One of these days, I should take you online so you can check out the Darwin Awards."

"I've heard of those. For people who kill themselves, excuse me, mercifully remove themselves from the gene pool in a breathtakingly idiotic manner?"

"The very same. I still think that Korean guy, who rammed the elevator doors so hard that they busted open and he fell down the shaft, should have won."

"Yeah, but what that woman did was pretty stupid. I mean, falling off a cliff because she wanted to catch a pretty feather? Come on."

"Unnatural selection, babe. Nature has a way of keeping certain organisms from contaminating the rest of the world."

Ami's thoughts unexpectedly turned to Usagi. Nobody had seen or heard from the woman since that day in the hospital, seven years ago. Her parents were beside themselves with grief and worry, making constant public pleas either to whoever held Usagi against her will or to Usagi, herself, for her safe return home, but it was like she had fallen off of the face of the earth. Even the Senshi's efforts to locate the woman had failed. Usagi had, either, taken to hiding somewhere or died. Either way, Ami wasn't complaining but she desperately wanted some tangible proof that Usagi was dead, so that she could put her demons to rest and get on with her life.

Usagi had sworn to destroy Ami and her children. Ami had sworn to kill Usagi but, at the last minute, for reasons even she didn't understand, Ami had decided to Change Usagi. To turn her former friend and ally into a Werewolf, just like her.

Oso noticed his wife's expression and interpreted it correctly, "Don't worry, baby girl. She's _not_ coming back. Even if she was, how is she going to find us in Frisco?"

"I know Usagi better than you do." Ami pointed out, "She's biding her time, lulling us into a false sense of security."

"You're being paranoid. The only people who know where we're going is the girls and they'll give their lives to protect these little ones."

"I know that as well as you but, there's no telling what people will say under duress, even unintentionally. You said that yourself."

"It's true, but, if she hasn't shown up by now, I don't think she's going to. And, anyways, do you really think she's going to try to cross the Pacific to come after you?"

"Yes."

Oso sighed and rubbed his forehead. She could tell he was tired and more than a little frustrated.

"You're right." She said, reaching across the aisle to take his hand, "There's three thousand miles between us and her and she's never been a very driven individual. I just think we should be vigilant. Until she either comes after us, or her body turns up, we shouldn't let our guard down."

"And we won't." He assured her. "But, I really think we can afford to relax a little. We've been running around frantically for years, trying to find her. I don't know about you but I don't think I can take much more of this."

"It's been hard on both of us. We've been shying from shadows for too long. You're right, of course. We need to relax. Nobody's seen her in seven years. She'd have to turn up at some point for food or something. And, Japan's a pretty densely populated country, _somebody_ would have seen her by now." 


	4. Interlude pt I

Minako pulled off her jacket and hung it by the door. Pulling off her boots, she set them on the mat before sitting on the steps to rub her sore, tired, feet.

She loved the Tokyo nightlife, all of the clubs that stayed open well into the wee pre-dawn hours, the bars, the men. She had lost track of the number of times she had been asked for her number and her purse was full of slips of paper, business cards, and napkins with the numbers of her various admirers.

Minako was a Succubus. It was in her nature to be the world's biggest flirt. She and her sister Succubi held an annual contest, really just for the fun of it, to see who had gathered the most phone numbers during the year. Already, her large manila envelope was fat with digits.

Life was a lonely affair and living an entire lifespan, alone, scared the shit out of her. However, try as she may, she couldn't settle on simply one man. She simply loved all men too much. For her, flirting was like Crack. Easy to get addicted to, impossible to let go of.

Since she found it impossible to settle for a man, she settled for a woman. Unfortunately, her lover wasn't home yet.

Minako found a note from her lover on the table.

_Mina,_

_ Big accident out on the freeway tonight. I'll be back as soon as I can._

_ With all my love,_

_ Rei._

Minako sniffed. For some reason or another, the apartment reeked of wet dog. Which was odd considering that they didn't own a dog, what with Rei being allergic to them.

"Hello, Minako."

Minako spun to the source of the voice and her blood ran cold, "Dear God." she whispered

Usagi smiled, "No. Just me."

Minako fought to keep her composure as she watched the blonde wander around the room. Usagi plucked up a picture and examined it for a moment before setting it back down.

"You and Rei, eh? I'm not surprised."

Minako kept her voice casual, "Usagi. Hi. How did you get in here?"

"Window." Usagi replied, distractedly, as she examined a knick-knack, "Rei doesn't have any issues with your flirting?"

"She understands. What are you doing here?"

"Looking for Ami. You haven't seen her around, have you?"

"Can't say that I have. She's been pretty busy with the kids and all. Why are you looking for her?"

"Figured we could sit down, have a nice chat, a cup of tea. Before I kill her, that is." With blinding speed, Usagi Changed, snatched Minako up, and pinned her to a wall, "So, I'll ask again. Where is she?"

"I-I-I-I haven't seen her." Minako quavered.

"_Bullshit, you bitch. Don't fucking lie to me!"_ Usagi roared.

"Usagi-chan. You're hurting me!"

"I want _Ami_!"

"I swear, I don't know where she is."

"I still say you're lying to me." Usagi extended her claws, "I wonder how well you talk with your guts strewn around the house." She pressed the tip of a claw to Minako's stomach.

"Mina, I'm home."

"_REIKO_!" Minako shrieked. She fell heavily to the floor as Rei flew around the corner, rushing to Minako's aid.

"Mina. Baby. What's wrong? What is it?" Rei cooed as she held Minako close.

Minako thought Rei had to have gone blind not to notice the nine foot tall blonde Werewolf in their living room but, when she looked, Usagi had disappeared. She trembled in Rei's arms, "She's back. Usagi's back!" she cried.


	5. Home Sweet Home

Ami blushed and Oso glowered at the Customs agent rummaged through their bags, searching for any illicit goods, of which, there were none. Satisfied, he handed the bags back across the counter, gave the passports one last scrutiny, and waved them away.

"I'm impressed by how efficient and polite American Customs agents are." Ami commented sarcastically.

"Oh, I know." He replied, "They're the envy of all the world's governments. _Not!_"

"_Not!"_ Saeko honked, in perfect mimicry of her father, and giggled.

Her brother followed suit, "_Not!"_

_ "Not!"_

_ "Not!"_

_ "Not!"_

_ "Enough!" _Both parents cried in unison, silencing their progeny.

"Hermano! Que paso?" Someone cried from the other side of the terminal.

Oso turned, "Raul! Tu puta de hijo. Como esta?"

Raul was the exact opposite of Oso in every manner. Oso was huge and muscular, Raul looked like he needed to be tied down in a light breeze. Oso was so tall he needed to duck to get through doorways. With Raul, however, ants would have to take care to not step on him. It was difficult to believe that the two men were related.

Ami had met Raul, once before. As Oso's only living relative, he had been invited to the wedding to serve as Oso's best man but had spent the entire ceremony, and reception, for that matter, flirting with Ami's girlfriends. This had led to an innocent, but amusing, misunderstanding concerning Haruka. And, then, a less innocent, but no less amusing, misunderstanding concerning Michiru.

Raul smiled as he gave Ami a hug and a kiss on the cheek, "Hermana. Mi muy bonita hermana. Que paso?"

"Raul, como esta?"

"Muy bueno, muy bueno. You had a wonderful flight, yes?" Raul's English was spotty and he often had to revert to his native tongue in order to get his point across.

"Yes, and your English is much improved."

"Si, Y su espanol es perfecto."

"Gracias, Raul. That's sweet of you."

"Uncle Raul." The cubs cried.

"Ninos." He dropped to a knee to hug them tightly, "Oh, you're growing so fast. Last time I saw you, you were this tall." He held his thumb and forefinger an inch or so apart. He glared at his hand, "es impossible, no? Must have been a picture."

Ami giggled. She loved Raul's odd sense of humor and quick wit. He was, despite Oso's claims to the contrary, very intelligent.

Raul gathered her and the cub's bags and, chivalrously, carried them out to his van, an old workhorse of a Chevy that must have been God's first truck. Ami climbed into the back with the cubs, bouncing with anticipation of seeing Oso's childhood home, which, according to him, had been built in the latter half of the nineteenth century by his great-great-grandfather, one of the first Vegas to call America home.

About an hour outside of the city, Oso commanded Raul to pull over.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

As Raul obeyed, Oso pulled his bandanna from his back pocket and turned to Ami, "Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Because I have a surprise for you."

Ami smiled and closed her eyes. Her smile widened as Oso blindfolded her, "This had better be a good surprise."

It was. The surprise was their new home. A massive, two-story, rustic log home in a quiet wooded area situated close enough to the city to be convenient but not so close that the noise, pollution, and crime affected them. The property was surrounded by five acres of beautiful forest, quiet, isolated, and safe.

Raul chased the cubs into the house, "Let's leave Mami y Papi be, ninos, and find your bedrooms."

Oso slung a companionable arm around his wife's shoulders, "Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful." Ami replied in awe.

"I found my room." Saeko declared, opening a window and leaning out far enough to make her parents' hearts stop.

Ramon pulled the same stunt, "Mine too."

"Found mine." Raul cried from another portion of the house, causing a few giggles.

"Uncle Raul, you can't live here."

"Que? Why not?"

"Because you have your own house."

Raul nodded, looking forlorn, "Si. You are right."

Oso led Ami across the front porch and into the house. A beautiful foyer opened to a cozy living room with a fireplace. A spacious kitchen, fully stocked, thanks to Raul, sat off to one side, leading into the laundry/mud room.

From the living room, with it's high vaulted ceiling, one could see into the second floor. Where the cubs' bedrooms were.

The basement den, that would become Ami's library for her growing collection of books, was already fitted with towering bookshelves along all of the walls. A second door led to a small room, painted in the colors of Oso's favorite American Football team, the Oakland Raiders, and set with a massive plasma television hanging on the wall. The door bore a carved sign, Raul's handiwork, that declared the room to be "Raider Headquarters."

Raul, as his housewarming gift, had completely remodeled the house, renovating it from the ground up. The polished wood floors, paneling, everything, bore testament to his skill as a carpenter and to his love for his family.

"The first thing we're going to do, tomorrow, is have screens put in all of the windows so the cubs won't try their hand at being Peter Pan." Ami said.

"Good idea."

l-l-l-l

Later that evening, as the cubs slept in their makeshift beds, husband and wife laid, together, in their new bedroom, covered with nothing but a blanket, having "forgotten" their pajamas. Seven years, they had been married and they were still just as smitten with each other as they had been before. Oso loved to explore his wife, where she was soft and where she was firm, learning and reviewing every sensuous curve of her body. And she loved to traverse his hard muscles, climbing over, and squeezing under, him.

They acted like a pair of newlyweds whenever they were alone, snuggling, cuddling, kissing, having tickle and pillow fights. Sometimes, one or the other would pick a fight solely for the purpose of the all-nighter make-up session.

Oso snagged her with his left arm, trapping her against his chest. She felt his fingers move into position.

"Oso. No. Don't you _dare_ tickle me." She growled affectionately.

She felt the first stroke, "Oso. I'm not playing." she warned.

A second stroke, "Julio."

She squealed with laughter, bucking and twisting in his arms as his fingers danced across her abdomen and along her ribs.

"No, no, no. Stop, you lecher. Stop it, I'm going to pee."

After a moment, he ceased and she lay in his arms, panting and gasping as she rested. She paused, listening.

Oso tensed, "What's wrong? Do you hear something?"

"No. That's just it. I can't hear anything. It's strange. So quiet. I've spent my entire life in the city where there's always noise, traffic, people. But here...nothing. It's a little strange but not unpleasant." She mused

"It'll take some getting used to. Personally, I didn't care for the city. Convenient, sure. But, too many people, too many things. Here, I'm in my element. There's room for the cubs to play and be wild without having to look over their shoulders constantly. We can roam and be carefree. There's five acres of woods here. Nobody comes back here. It's glorious."

Ami settled into his embrace, suddenly finding herself a little intimidated by these new surroundings and more than a little homesick. She wished that her friends were here with her.

"Did I tell you? Haruka's coming."

"What?" Ami asked, slightly confused.

"Yeah. I signed us up as a waypoint for the 'Iron Harpy.'"

"What's the 'Iron Harpy'?"

"A big race where Harpies from all over the world fly around the world. They start and end in Moscow. It starts in a few weeks and she'll be here, she estimates, forty-eight hours after the race starts."

Ami giggled, "I was just thinking about how much I missed my friends."


	6. A Sailor Mercury Story

Ami surveyed her home with a degree of pride and satisfaction that bordered on vanity. The furniture in the living room was arranged just so. The chandelier in the foyer was lit, along with a few lamps in the living room, a set of hanging lamps over the kitchen island and the cavity lights over the dining room. The light lent a warm and festive atmosphere to the home. She thought about the many generations that had tread these floors. The love and laughter and life that had filled these rooms. This was more than a house, it was a home. It had been lived in and, truly, it was once more. Ami had made the decision. It would be in this warm, loving home, not some cold and indifferent hospital, that she would breathe her last.

Tonight, they would be greeting their neighbors in the time-honored tradition of the adult party. She had dressed casually and conservatively in a blue silk blouse, black skirt, and heels. The only jewelery she wore was her mother's sapphire necklace, her engagement ring, and her wedding band.

As this was the first time she had played hostess, she was understandably apprehensive. She wanted to make the perfect first impression and had spent the entire day cleaning and scrubbing and arranging and rearranging.

Oso, with his knowledge of wines, had selected a fine, vintage, Merlot to compliment the steaks that he would begin grilling as soon as the cubs were in bed. As it was, he was busy trying to get them to go down. Ami headed up the steps to check on his progress. Their guests would be arriving in a hour and she wouldn't have her irreverent spawn flying about the house and getting under the adults' feet.

The twins had gathered with their father in Saeko's bedroom, which was plastered with poster-sized photographs of running horses and kittens and painted a soothing blue.

"But, we're not tired." Saeko objected for, what had to have been, the hundredth time that evening. "We want to stay up."

"Ah, but you have school in the morning and you'll need your sleep." Oso replied calmly.

"Papa," said Ramon, "Tell us a Sailor Mercury story, please."

"And then, you'll go to bed." Oso declared.

"And then, we'll go to bed." The cubs replied in faithful unison, their voices harmonizing perfectly.

With their backs to the door, the cubs hadn't noticed their mother enter. Ami leaned against the door frame and listened to Oso's retelling of Sailor Mercury's epic battle against the evil Queen Beryl.

"She was beautiful and wise and kind and loving. She had three friends. Sailor Jupiter, who was brave and strong, Sailor Venus, who was beautiful and passionate, and Sailor Mars, who was kind and honest, though a bit ill-tempered."

His voice faded to a dull drone as Ami returned to her memories of that day. The day she had first died. Since they had been married, and since he already knew, Ami had recounted, for him, her adventures as her alter-ego. And he, in turn, recounted them for the cubs, with a few artistic liberties.

For one, Sailor Moon had never existed. Oso's reason for this being, as he had told her, that he had a hard time picturing that murderous bitch, Usagi, as any type of heroine. Instead, he had placed her, Sailor Mercury, in the role of the ultimate heroine. His reason, again, given to her, was that the cubs would hold their hero, Mercury, in the highest regard and, therefore, vicariously, her as well.

"Julio, what are you doing, filling their heads with this nonsense?" Ami asked, pressing her fists to her hips in mock indignation, "Superheros named after planets, of all the nerve."

Oso plucked up Ramon as Ami crouched down to see to her daughter, "Come, boy." He said, "Let's leave these womenfolk be."

"Mama." Saeko began, as Ami tucked her in, "Can't I stay up with you and Daddy?"

"No, baby. It's a school night and, besides, this will be a boring grown-up party where boring grown-ups talk about boring grown-up things."

"But I'm not a b-b-b-bit sleepy." Saeko replied, fighting back a yawn.

Ami laughed, "I believe you, but, you have to have your rest so you can go to school tomorrow and learn all sorts of wonderful new things."

Saeko fought a losing battle to keep her eyes open as her mother leaned down to kiss her forehead, "Goodnight, my sweet darling." Ami whispered to her daughter, "Sweet dreams."

She found her husband in the kitchen, with a plate piled high with fat slabs of beef. Ami stared at the meat, already salivating. Perhaps it was her inner-werewolf that wanted nothing more than to tear into the meat, cooked or not. Or, perhaps, she was simply hungry. The apprehension of the evening's get-together had ruined her appetite and she had skipped both breakfast and lunch.

Oso eyed her as he tied an apron over his dress shirt, "Down, girl. Don't make me get the newspaper."

"What? I'm hungry." She replied, feigning hurt, as she snatched a carrot from the vegetable platter and took a bite.

"I told you to eat some lunch." He scolded, "How do you like your steak?"

"Rare." Ami replied, promptly.

He winked at her as he headed out onto the back deck, "That's my girl."

While her husband worked on the steaks, Ami busied herself with mixing the salads, trying to keep her mind occupied so she wouldn't sit and fret.

The doorbell, with it's quiet tones of a Grandfather clock striking the half-hour, rang and Ami hurried to the door. She made it to the living room before remembering that she was a hostess. Calm, cool, collected, she brushed at some imaginary lint on her skirt, straightened her glasses, and slowed her stride.

She was all smiles as she opened the door and greeted the first of her guests, warmly. Jim and Cindy Moore were their next-door neighbors. He was a Literature professor while she taught Theater. Ami, still growing accustomed to the strange customs of the Americans, fought the urge to bow as she shook hands and led the couple into the living room, excusing herself to make refreshments.

The bell rang again as she poured the wine. Bart Lackey was another neighbor from down the street. He was a retired Navy captain who had served during the Vietnam war. His wife of fifty-some years, Calista, had passed away the previous spring after a long and brave battle with Pancreatic cancer. Now, he spent his days keeping busy restoring old carousel figures for his extensive private collection. He had been in the house, before Ami and Oso moved in, assisting Raul with the restoration. Being the good hostess, Ami introduced him to Jim and Cindy, even though they already knew each other, before, once again, excusing herself.

Returning to the kitchen, she nearly ran into her husband, who was returning with the meats, "Nearly everyone's here," she reported, "We're just waiting on two more."

He nodded, "I'll take that to be Richard and Serena? They're late for everything. Probably had a few issues with the boys."

Richard and Serena Bowling and their sons, Marcus and Anthony, were their neighbors from down the street, on the other side of Bart Lackey. Mark and Tony were a year older than the cubs and had met on the day they had moved in. Subsequently, the parents had met and were promptly invited to a cook-out at the Bowling residence. Ami was certain that young Tony had a boyhood crush on her. She had seen that same, dreamy-eyed, look, countless times, on Usagi's younger brother, Shingo.

l-l-l-l

"Julio, I really must congratulate you, son." said Bart.

"Oh?"

"Yes, indeed, young man. You are beyond blessed. You have a lovely, charming, intelligent wife," Ami blushed at the string of compliments he threw her way, "wonderful children, and a beautiful home to call your own."

"I like to think so." Oso replied, taking a sip of wine. "My father always told me, 'A man has three pleasures in his life. The first is his work. Always take pleasure and pride in what you contribute for the betterment of society. The second is his drink. Always select a fine vintage but never overindulge. The third, and most important, pleasure is making love to his woman.'" Ami turned bright red as her husband continued, "'Later, the third pleasure is replaced by one just as important, and that is providing for his family.'"

Bart nodded sagely, "Ramon was a man of great wisdom."

"And waistline." Serena added for a round of polite chuckles.

l-l-l-l

Oso gathered up the dishes as Ami saw the last of their guests to the door, "Thank you." she said, "Have a lovely evening."

Shutting the door, she slumped against it in weary exhaustion, blowing a breath into her bangs. Oso paused, on his way by, long enough to kiss her temple, "Tired?"

"Yes." she replied, slipping out of her shoes.

"Join the club." He replied.

"You'd figure the second cup of coffee would be the signal to wrap up the conversation and head for the door."

"It, typically, is. But, keep in mind, honey, it's not every day that these people get invited out for adult get-togethers."

"I can see why." she muttered, "I'm going to check on the cubs."

Ami had remembered her mother's warning about those who would harm her children given the first opportunity and, with the memory of Usagi's actions, years before, still fresh in her mind, she was constantly vigilant, to the degree of being overprotective, about their welfare. Quietly, she entered her daughter's dark bedroom and knelt by her bed. Saeko looked so beautiful as she slept, like an angel. Ami couldn't help but give her daughter another kiss before leaving.

Ramon was as precious to her as her daughter. Her Little Wolf slept restlessly, brow furrowed with some concern as he tossed and turned. Carefully, so as not to wake him, she took him in her arms, singing an old lullaby that her mother used to sing to her whenever she couldn't sleep, and held him until he quieted.

"Mama's boy." she whispered as she laid him back down and tucked him in.


	7. Interlude pt 2

Giggling and pawing, Michiru and Haruka half-fell through their front door. They had just come from a wonderful wedding and both had more than a little bit of bubbly. Hotaru had moved out the year before and, since it was so late, it was early, Setsuna was, most likely, asleep. She had made the claim that she could sleep through anything and several earthquakes had proven her right. She would not be the least bit bothered by her housemates' romping.

Michiru continued to giggle like an idiot as Haruka chased her into their bedroom, locking the door behind her. From there, Haruka pretended that she was in one of her favorite porno videos, humming out a beat while she swung her hips and unbuttoned her shirt, ripping the garment open to display her undershirt.

"Haruka." Michiru whispered, getting her lover's attention. She had sobered considerably as she stared at the broken window and the glass that littered the carpet.

"The hell?" Haruka responded as she came around the bed and studied the glittering shards. A noise from the bathroom startled them both. Was the burglar still in the house? If so, he had picked the wrong one.

Slowly, Haruka went to investigate, motioning for Michiru to stay back. Michiru rolled her eyes, wondering why her lover had to pull this macho bullshit now, of all times.

Haruka pushed open the bathroom door and gasped in shock, "Usagi? Are you okay?"

The glimmer in Usagi's eyes and the cold smile on her face caused Haruka to take an unconscious step back.

Usagi Changed, lifted Haruka off of the floor and pulled her close, "Where's Ami?" she growled.

Haruka's mouth worked silently in sheer terror. Michiru, thinking quickly, grabbed a steel nail file from the night stand, charged Usagi, and drove it, with all of her might, into the Werewolf's arm.

Usagi removed one hand from Haruka and struck Michiru, spinning the woman around. With a second, well-placed, strike, she tore open Michiru's back. A snarl of rage tore from her as Usagi rammed her claws, still wet with Michiru's blood, into Haruka's stomach.

Eyes wide in shocked pain, Haruka dropped to the floor as Usagi released her, blood foaming at her mouth. Usagi snatched the nail file from her arm, threw it to the floor, and leaped out of the window.

Slowly, painfully, Michiru crawled to her lover's side. Tears welled up when she saw how badly Haruka was hurt. The woman wouldn't make it.

"Michi." Haruka gasped, trying to hold her intestines in.

Michiru quickly hushed her, "Don't speak. Save your strength."

"Michi. It's okay. It doesn't hurt any..." Haruka's eyes were vacant as a final sigh left her body.

Michiru curled up next to her dead lover, resting her head on a rapidly cooling shoulder as she wept.

l-l-l-l

Setsuna stretched as she came out of her room and stopped dead, staring down at the two bodies in the middle of the floor. Haruka's glassy expression told her all she needed to know.

"Michiru." She gasped, fighting tears as she examined Michiru and came to the conclusion that no one could lose that much blood and still live. However, she checked for a pulse and, miraculously, found one. Or, perhaps not. There was no telling what Haruka's death would do to Michiru.

Calmly, she summoned the police before dialing another number.

"Hotaru, baby. It's Setsuna-mama. I have some horrible news." Her voice cracked as she felt the first of many tears trickle down her cheek, "You should come, right away."


	8. A Tragic Visit

Oso had arrived home before his wife and, after setting the cubs to their homework, began dinner. He was a fair cook but he often wished Makoto had come along with them.

As he stirred the pasta for the spaghetti, the phone rang. He reached for the handset on the counter before realizing that it was his private line. Only Stalkers had that number, "Oso here. Oh, hey, Hotaru, what's up? Ami? No, she isn't in yet. Is there anything I can-" He heard the door open, "Oh, you know what? I think she just walked in."

Ami looked exhausted. Those forty hour shifts the hospital made her run were running her down. After her "Welcome home" kiss, Oso handed her the phone, "Hello?" she greeted, "Hotaru, hi, how are you? We're fine, we're fine. Of course you and Michiru can come stay. No, it's no problem at all. In fact, we're expecting Haruka in-" Ami's brow knitted in concern, "Hotaru, what's wrong? Honey, I can barely understand you. You're at the airport now? No, don't call a cab, Oso or I can come get you." She snapped her fingers, getting her husband's attention, _Two more for dinner_, she mouthed.

l-l-l-l

Ami was shocked at Michiru's terrible appearance. The woman looked like she hadn't slept or eaten in days. Hotaru didn't look much better but she smiled thinly for Ami, "I've been so worried for you guys." she whispered, embracing Ami a little too tightly.

"Hotaru, what's happened?"

The younger woman bit her lip and glanced back a Michiru, who stood in the foyer and stared at the floor, "Let me get her settled and I'll tell you everything."

Ami nodded, "Take your time. The guest bedroom is upstairs, second door on your right." She watched Hotaru lead a fragile, in every sense of the word, Michiru upstairs. For some reason, Ami, suddenly, became very afraid.

Hotaru returned, fifteen minutes later, and joined Oso and Ami in the kitchen, "Usagi's reappeared." she announced in a conspiratorial whisper, "and she's looking for you."

Hotaru had their full attention as she recounted the events of the past few weeks, "She visited Minako about a day or so after you left. At first, we thought it was just hysterics, you know how Minako can be if she's spooked. But, a couple of days ago, she appeared at Mama and Papa's house. She attacked them both. She tore open Mama's back and she." Hotaru gasped in a sob, "She killed Haruka-papa." She continued to cry as she fought for control, "That bitch murdered my Haruka-papa."

"_Jesuchristo."_ Oso muttered as Ami embraced Hotaru. That explained why Michiru looked as bad as she did. Haruka's death was a monumental tragedy.

"She's insane." Hotaru continued, "She'll stop at nothing to get to you."

"Where's Setsuna?" Ami asked, fearing for the woman's life.

"She's gone back to the Time Gates for the time being and Makoto's having an 'extended visit' with Rei and Minako. There's safety in numbers."

"That's why you came here?"

"That and Michiru-mama can't stay in that house right now, there's no room at my place, and you guys needed to be warned."

"There's not much we can do." Oso admitted, "I'll put the crew on alert about the possibility of a rogue. What are the chances of Usagi making it Stateside?"

Hotaru shrugged, "I'm not a bookie."

"Well, she'd need a passport-"

"That's if she decides to take the legal way." Ami interrupted, "Which I, very seriously, doubt. There's nothing stopping her from stowing away on some cargo ship."

"Some of the crew work down at the docks. I'll pass around a description." Oso shrugged, "There's not much else we can do, aside from keeping our eyes out."

"Do you think we should keep watch?"

"I don't think that will be necessary. At least, not yet. There's still too little information."

"But what about the cubs?" Ami objected.

Oso took her hands, "I don't like this anymore than you do, babe. But, right now, there's very little we can do. It's best to press on until we have a reason to worry."

"Oh? And Usagi reappearing after seven years, stalking and attacking my friends, murdering Haruka, isn't reason enough?"

"Ami, honey, calm down." She hadn't realized her voice had risen, "I'm not saying we shouldn't be vigilant. But, there's no reason, yet, to implement such extreme measures."

l-l-l-l

Ami fretted as she sat on her bed. She didn't want to do this but, for the sake of her children, she had no other choice. She pulled a suitcase from the closet and began to pack.

"What are you doing?"

Oso had, suddenly, appeared in the doorway, "I'm leaving." she replied, "Just for a little while."

He remained where he was, looking confused and slightly hurt, "Why?"

Ami snapped her suitcase closed and hefted it off the bed, "Usagi's after me. The further away I get from the cubs, the safer they'll be."

"You're being irrational. Unpack your stuff and we'll talk."

She tried to push through but he barred the way, "Move, Oso."

"No."

"I said, move."

"No. Sit down. We're going to talk this out, like adults, before you go off all half-cocked."

"Usagi's a threat to my children. I'm going to lead her away."

"She's a threat to them with, or without, you here. They'll be much safer if you stay."

Ami felt all of the rage and frustration that seven years of constant fear had brought her suddenly come boiling to the surface, "You bastard!" she screamed, trying to hit him, "Get out of my way! You're not doing a damn thing to help protect them! It's like you want her to kill them!"

He slapped her, knocking her back a step. She stared at him, stunned. It didn't really hurt, but he had never laid a hand to her. By the pained look in his eyes, the act of striking her hurt worse than anything else. Immediately, he went to her and held her tightly.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, "Oh, God. I'm so sorry."

"I needed it." She replied, "I was being irrational. But,God, Julio, I'm so scared." She began to cry, "I don't want her to hurt my babies."

"She won't. I promise you she won't. We won't let her get in sight of them. Hotaru's here. Michiru's here and I'll guarantee she wants blood. I'm here, you're here. If we just stay together, they'll be fine. There's no safer place for them to be."

She gave him a watery smile and a nod, "You're right." She was trembling with the tension and fear, "I feel like I'm losing my mind."

"You aren't the only one."

"But, what are we going to do?"

His grip tightened, "I don't know, baby. I wish I did, but I don't."


	9. Shying At Shadows

Ami lay in the dark, curled against her husband, and fearing for the lives of her family and friends. She shouldn't have left Japan until she had some tangible proof that Usagi was dead and now, she could feel the mad woman growing ever closer.

But, in a way, she was kind of glad that Usagi was coming, so that she could, finally, end this and everyone could get on with their lives. She regretted the decision to turn Usagi and allow her to live. She should have just killed the woman right there and be done with it. But, even when she did away with the blonde, she still had the likes of the Sliver League to deal with.

A scream echoed through the vents and both Ami and Oso were, instantly, awake and out of bed, racing up the steps to the ground floor and then up again to the second floor. The light in the guest bedroom blazed brightly and Ami, fearing Usagi's arrival, burst though the door to find Michiru sobbing in Hotaru's arms.

"Hotaru?"

The younger woman smiled at Ami over her shoulder, "Sorry, we didn't mean to wake you."

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she just had a nightmare." She reached into her handbag and fished out a prescription bottle, "Here, Mama. Take your medicine. We've bothered Ami-san enough for one night."

"What's that?" Ami asked as she watched Michiru swallow one of the purple pills

"Prozac. She's been taking Haruka-papa's death pretty hard. We all have."

Michiru shifted and Ami saw some of the massive scars that Usagi's claws had left all across her back. Ami felt like she was going to be sick as Michiru began to calm and lay back down.

"Sorry." Hotaru apologized again, "It won't happen again."

"No, there's nothing to be sorry about. You just scared us, that's all."

"Well, nothing to worry about, just a false alarm."

"Okay, we're just downstairs if you need anything."

Hotaru nodded, "Thank you." And turned out the light.

Ami closed the door. She could here Oso quietly coaxing Ramon back to sleep.

"Mama?"

A sleepy-eyed Saeko stood at her doorway. Ami went and picked her daughter up, carrying her back to bed, "What are you doing up?"

"I heard somebody crying."

"Yes. Aunt Michiru just had a really bad dream that scared her but she's alright now and has gone back to sleep and you, my dear cub, need to do the same thing. We have to be up in a few hours for school."

"What kind of nightmare did Aunt Michiru have?" Saeko asked as her mother tucked her back into bed.

"One about a bad monster. But, don't worry, monsters aren't real."

"But, Tony says Werewolves are monsters and I'm a Werewolf."

"Yes, but Tony doesn't know that, right?"

"Right."

"Because, if you tell anybody about our secret, bad people will come and take you away. I don't want that."

"I don't want that, either, Mama."

Ami knelt down to give her daughter a kiss, "Good night, baby. Go to sleep."

Returning to her own bedroom, she found her husband already asleep in the bed. Ami, however, found sleep evasive since awakening to Michiru's screams. It was half past three and she had the next couple of days off from the hospital. She was restless and needed to roam. She slipped out of her pajamas and left the room.

l-l-l-l

Thick brush scrapped at her arms and along her flanks as she raced through the deep forest paths, taking care to avoid houses. Oso, being the considerate husband and father, had gone ahead of her some days before and marked the boundaries of the property at fifty-yard intervals. The scent of his urine was growing stale so Ami left her own marks over his. It would not do for the cubs to Change and roam, wandering off onto the neighbors' properties and scaring the willies out of everyone.

Ami's mind raced as fast as her body. Usagi seemed to have completely changed. What Ami had done to her seemed to have driven her insane. Ami had no fear for her friends, each of them was like her and far more experienced and powerful Creatures than Usagi could ever hope to be. Haruka had died because she had been taken completely unawares and Michiru had been out of her element.

Ami had seen what the Mermaid could do. In the water, she was fast, strong, and agile, able to tear apart anything. Ami had witnessed the woman snap an anchor chain with her bare hands. But, on land, Michiru was defenseless. Which was why she needed Haruka for protection. A symbiotic relationship.

As for the others, Minako and Rei were a formidable team. Makoto was a veteran Night Stalker and a powerful warrior, having been groomed by Oso to command the 120th Night Stalker Regiment.

Hotaru, all appearances deceiving, was quite powerful and had only grown stronger with age and experience. The twenty-one year old vampire was as fast as Ami and as strong as Oso. She had worked incredibly hard to become as powerful as she was and, because she would only Change as Sailor Saturn, that made her alter-ego into an entirely new entity.

Oso was right. With the stronger Hotaru, the vengeful Michiru, the protective Oso and his clan of Night Stalkers, and herself, ever the protective mother wolf, there was little danger to the cubs here. Still, they had to be vigilant. Therefore, every few nights, Ami would patrol the wooded acres around her home. She would not let Usagi anywhere near her family.

With her mind calm and her fears abated, she returned to the house and her bed. She had to have the cubs up early for school the next morning and all of the excitement of the day had sapped her energy and frayed her nerves.

She felt the stress and excitement of the past week suddenly press down on her like a great weight. Her knees began to shake as she stumbled down the stairs to her bed. She knew she was tired when she stepped onto the landing at the bottom of the steps and felt her knees buckle. That was fine. There was only her library between her and bed.

She took a few more steps, which seemed to grow increasingly harder. Her feet felt like they were weighed down with lead and her vision was growing dim. Exhausted, she decided to sit on one of the Wingback leather chairs, just for a rest, and was asleep before her head hit the backrest.


	10. Brotherhood of Blood

Morning sun streamed through the windowpanes, warming the two occupants of Ami's study. Oso leaned over the back of the chair, taking a moment to admire the pure, innocent beauty of his love. Though he had done many things throughout his life that he regretted and despised himself for, he must have done something incredible and righteous to deserve this woman, who was beyond gracious and had given him two beautiful children to love. He lowered himself and kissed Ami awake.

Inhaling deeply, she sighed and stretched luxuriously before opening her ice blue eyes, "Morning."

"Good morning, sunshine. The earth says hello." He replied, throwing his arms around her neck and hugging her against his chest.

"What time is it?"

"Half past eight. Don't worry, I already saw the cubs onto the bus. You seemed wiped out so I let you sleep. How was your midnight run?"

"What?" she blinked.

"Well, I didn't think you'd go to sleep in the library in your birthday suit just for grins and giggles. Though, I have to say, the view is spectacular." He handed her her bathrobe and allowed her to cover her nakedness.

"Is anybody else awake?" she asked.

"Hotaru is but she's wanting to chill with Michiru until she wakes up. That poor woman, losing Haruka like that."

"She's taking Haruka's death pretty hard. She's on Prozac now."

"So I heard. We're going to have to watch her closely and make sure she doesn't succumb to her grief."

"I don't think she will. She's a tough girl."

He smiled wanly, "You're faith in your friend is endearing but you may overestimate her strength. Grief makes people do strange things, dangerous things. You and I both know that. Come to think of it, we'll need to watch Hotaru, too."

"Oso, Michiru and Hotaru _will_ be staying with us until this passes."

"Good idea. Glad I thought of it." He gave her a kiss, "Go back to bed, darling. I'll hold down the fort for a while."

Going back to sleep was out of the question for Ami. She went and showered before dressing and seeing what her husband had decided to make for breakfast. However, before eating, she decided to check on Hotaru and Michiru. She rapped twice on the door before opening it. Hotaru sat in an easy chair in the corner, dressed and reading a book while she waited for Michiru to wake up. She blinked as Ami stuck her head in, "Good morning."

"Morning."

"Oso's making breakfast, if your interested."

Hotaru hesitated, "I'm loathe to leave her alone while she's as emotionally fragile as she is."

"Go eat. I'll watch her either until she wakes up or you get back."

Smiling her appreciation, Hotaru set her book aside, stood and stretched before leaving. Ami took up her post in the chair. Noticing the book Hotaru had been reading, she read over the title, _Brotherhood of Blood_.

She skimmed the first chapter. This was the Vampire's manual, like her own _Hominus Lupus._ She read deeper into the manual, paying special attention to the warnings. Though Vampires could travel in sunlight, they tended to have very sensitive skin and burned easily. Also, Vampires tended to be Hemophiliac. Their blood did not clot properly and they needed to feed every three days at the very least or their blood would become too thin and they would bleed from every orifice.

Vampires, when deprived of their sustenance for more than forty-eight hours, tended to lose control of their hunger and would attack anything. Hence, why it was extremely important that a Vampire feed once every thirty-six hours but no more than three times in a twenty-four hour period. If they fed too often, their blood would become too thick and unable to perform the normal blood functions of carrying oxygen to the various muscles and organs of the body.

Ami sat back and thought for a minute. It had never occurred to her that Hotaru had to perform such a balancing act just to live. It made her life as a Werewolf seem simple by comparison.

"You'd better not let her catch you reading that. They tend to be very secretive."

Startled, Ami looked up and saw Michiru staring at her, "It's amazing." Michiru continued, "She kept that from us all of these years."

"You kept your identities from her." Ami said, a tad reproachfully.

"That was for her protection."

"And she has the same reasons, I'm sure. How are you feeling?"

"How would you feel if someone murdered Julio while you were helpless to stop it."

Ami nodded, "I understand."

"No, Ami." Michiru replied with a shake of her head, "I don't think you do. And I pray you never will."

There was an awkward silence before Michiru spoke again, "Thank you for your hospitality. I'm sorry we fell out of the sky on you."

"It's no trouble at all."

"Today, Hotaru and I will get a hotel room."

"You most certainly will _not_." Ami declared, "Julio and I are in agreement, you may stay with us as long as you'd like. At least, until we get this issue with Usagi taken care of. I insist."

"We don't want to impose." Michiru objected weakly.

"There's no imposition. And, if it'll make you feel better, you can help out with the cubs. They're quite a handful."

"Most children their age are but they're adorable, Ami. You've made a wonderful mother. Your own mother would be so proud of you, I know it."

"I'm not so certain." Ami replied, blushing slightly.

"Nonsense. If there's one thing I've learned from raising Hotaru it's that all children need Love, Knowledge, and Discipline. Ami, Saeko and Ramon are so well-behaved and smart and you and Oso both give them love to spare. You genuinely appreciate your babies and they love you both in return. This is as happy a household as anyone can expect. You've done very well, indeed."

"Thank you." Ami replied before standing, "Well, let's get you some breakfast."

She helped Michiru, who's back was still very stiff from the recently healed injuries, to dress before escorting her down into the kitchen.

"Ami," Michiru began, "What can you tell me about this group that you, Julio, and Hotaru are a part of?"

"The group?" Ami asked, not quite comprehending.

"Something called the Night Stalkers? I'd like to join."

"Michiru, I really can't tell you anything. I can't imagine how you know about the Stalkers but I can tell you this. You don't ask to join the Stalkers, you _get_ asked. And, in order to ask, we'd need approval from the Council."

"Could you alert them that I'm interested?"

"It wouldn't matter. Like I said, you _get_ asked. Besides, I wouldn't be surprised if they already knew. They might contact you about joining but-. Yes, Hotaru?"

Hotaru had been standing at the foot of the steps, waiting for them, "Michiru-mama, I need to speak with you. I've been instructed by the Council to offer you a position in the Night Stalkers."


	11. Crisis

"Aunt Hotaru, can I have a sip of your blood?" Saeko asked.

This question, coming from an average seven-year-old, would have been cause for alarm. However, Saeko was not an average seven-year-old and her "Aunt" Hotaru wasn't exactly normal either, "No, darling. This isn't like your daddy's beer. Drinking blood will make you very sick unless you're a Vampire like me."

"But Mama drinks blood, and Aunt Michiru."

"That's not real blood. That's a drink called a Bloody Mary and it's made with vegetable juice. This is real blood, from a pig."

"But Vampires have to drink _human_ blood." Saeko objected.

"You've been watching too much television. Vampires are not allowed to drink human blood. It's against the law."

"So, you could go to jail?"

"That's right. I could get in a lot of trouble."

"Really bad trouble?"

"_Really _bad trouble." Hotaru confirmed.

"Don't you have homework, young lady?" Ami asked as she came into the room, "Stop bothering Hotaru, get your butt upstairs and do your homework. The next time I have to tell you, it'll be two week's grounding."

"But, I'm not bothering Aunt Hotaru." Saeko looked to Hotaru for support. Hotaru chose that moment to take a long drink of blood. She didn't want to appear to be selling her "niece" out but she would not undermine Ami's authority in her own household.

"Saeko, final warning."

"But, Mama."

Ami snapped her fingers and pointed up the steps, watching as her daughter trudged away before sitting down, "She says she hates school."

Hotaru shrugged, "Don't all children say that?"

"But she loves to read and learn new things."

"Perhaps public school isn't challenging her enough."

"Oso and I can't afford to send her to a private school."

"I'm talking about Home-schooling." Hotaru replied.

"We're too busy. I have the internship to worry about, he has his Stalker regiment, and then there's Usagi to top all of this off."

"So, what about me? Or Michiru-mama."

Ami thought for a moment, "There's so many laws and regulations concerning home-schooling in the state of California."

"I'm going stir-crazy just sitting around here or hanging around with Oso's Stalkers. Those guys are creepy and they keep hitting on me. It's like they've never seen a woman before." Hotaru complained, "And, besides, Michiru-mama needs something to occupy her time. All she talks about is her training."

"You should be happy for her." Ami countered.

"I am. I am. But talk of training, inevitably, turns to talk of what she plans to do to Usagi."

"Oh."

"And she has the artist's imagination when she describes this stuff in every gory detail. Something like teaching the cubs, in a safe environment where they can be themselves, might be what she needs."

Ami thought for a moment, "Alright, I'll look into everything we'll need to do to get this ready, talk to Oso, and, when we're situated, I'll pull the cubs out of school and Michiru will become Kaioh-sensei."

l-l-l-l

"Hotaru mentioned something interesting today concerning the cub's education." Ami told her husband over their private dinner, which was followed by "Mama and Daddy Time". These events occurred, at least, once a week. It was one of their many strategies for keeping their relationship fresh during stressful times.

"Oh?" Oso asked, taking a sip of wine.

"She suggested that we start home-schooling the cubs."

"Ami, we've gone over this. We're simply too busy to teach the cubs."

"We are. Hotaru isn't."

"Are you saying that Hotaru's going to teach the cubs?"

"And Michiru."

Oso cocked his head as he thought, "You do realize that neither Hotaru or Michiru are certified to be teachers."

"Right, but, in the state of California, a parent can teach if they are capable of teaching."

"Hey!" Oso cheered, "Neither Michiru or Hotaru mothered the cubs."

"Right." Ami said with a smile.

"So, Neither Michiru or Hotaru are, one, certified to be teachers and, two, the cubs' mother. We've come full circle to my original objection."

"Here's my idea. I register that Michiru, my sister, will be teaching the cubs."

Oso sucked in air through his teeth, the Japanese way of showing disapproval, "I don't know, babe. I don't think that theory holds water. You and Michiru look nothing alike. These people will trace your family history and, besides, I don't think an Aunt would count."

"Well, okay, how long does it take to get a teacher's certification?"

"Not sure. I think the minimum amount of time is a year. Oh, by the way, does Michiru speak English?"

"Fluently." Ami confirmed. "She and Haruka have toured America many times. Why?"

"Because it wouldn't surprise me if the school board insisted that all classes be taught in English. And, I'm sure there's a specific curriculum that has to be followed. Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Ami smiled, "Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

"Then let me do this."

l-l-l-l

Minako lounged on the sofa, bored out of her mind, while Rei sat, reading quietly, "Whatcha reading?"

"Book." Rei grunted.

"Is it good?"

Rei's only reply was a grunt.

Minako rolled onto her stomach and blew a breath into her bangs. Normally, she'd be out in the club scene. However, because of Usagi's recent actions, it had been agreed upon that nobody went anywhere alone unless it was completely necessary. As it was, they had put off grocery shopping until there wasn't a speck of food to be found in the apartment. Makoto had gone grocery shopping and had insisted on going alone. It was just as well. All Minako ever bought was sugary junk food and all Rei bought was spicy food and enough hot sauce to float an oil tanker.

"Rei," she whined, " I'm so unbelievably bored. Come on, let's play."

"Not right now." Rei replied, turning a page.

"Why not?"

"Reading."

Minako rolled off of the sofa. Perhaps a nap would help eat up the time until Makoto got back and started dinner, "I'll be in the bedroom."

Rei grunted again, turning another page.

Minako and Rei's room was the larger of the two bedrooms. Rei needed a lot of space. Banshees were, by nature, claustrophobic. It was an instinctual thing that Minako would never understand. Rei was terrified tight places and would break into a cold sweat just looking into the closet.

She surveyed the bedroom. In one corner was an ancient heavy wooden trunk that had belonged to Minako's great grandfather, one of the only humans to capture a Succubus' heart. It was filled with spare blankets used in the winter. Their big bed sat in one corner opposite Minako's vanity table and mirror.

Sighing with anticipation of what would occur in that bed tonight, Minako stretched and dropped to the floor, unconscious.

l-l-l-l

Somehow, she had been moved into the living room, which was strange because she distinctly remembered being in the bedroom. Minako tried to sit up but she couldn't mover her arms, or her legs. She expected Rei had decided to play after all but she couldn't see her lover anywhere.

"Rei." she called, "Are we playing that game again? I think it was your turn, this time." She didn't hear her Reiko anywhere. "Rei?" she rolled over and saw the very last person she wished to see, as helpless as she now was.

Usagi sat. prim and proper, atop her grandfather's chest, "Minako-chan, long time no see."

"Where's Rei?" Minako demanded, "What have you done with her? Untie me, this minute."

"Rei-chan? She's right here." Usagi patted the side of the trunk and Minako's blood ran cold. Poor Rei was terrified of tight spaces. She wouldn't enter any room smaller than a large bedroom. She would be beside herself in a space roughly half her height.

"Let her out." Minako growled.

"Happily, when you tell me what I want to know. Now, I know you know where Ami is. She's not in Japan anymore, I know that much. But, I have neither the time nor the patience to search the entire damn planet for her."

"I'll tell you whatever you want to know. Just let her out."

"Now." Usagi mused as if Minako hadn't spoken, "I'm sure Ami has sent you two a letter or something, just to let you know she's arrived at whatever destination safely and probably with some contact information for your records."

"Rei." Minako called into the box, "Reiko, can you hear me?"

"Minako." Rei's voice was so very quiet, so very small. "Minako, please, let me out. I don't like this. I can feel them crawling on me."

"Nothing's crawling on you, baby. Just hang in there." Minako watched Usagi idly flip through Makoto's address book.

"Minako, please. Please," Rei was on the verge of a break-down, "I don't want to be in here anymore." There was a light thump as Rei strained against the walls of her prison, "I'm so alone." She whimpered.

"No, Reiko, no. You're not alone. I'm here with you. Minako's here. And I won't leave you."

"Minako." Usagi called over from the computer, "What's the password to get into your email?"

"Will you let Rei out if I tell you?"

"The password, please?"

Minako strained, trying to break free.

"Minako, if I have to ask again, Rei will have to meet some friends of mine." Usagi reached into her bag and pulled out a small, clear, pet shop box with four large rats inside

Minako's heart nearly stopped. Rei was terrified of only two things, small spaces and rats. She could handle any one by itself but the combination of the two would drive the woman off of the deep end, "Usagi, don't."

"For the third time-"

"Password." Minako cried.

"What?"

"The password is 'Password'."

Usagi wrinkled her nose, "Are you serious?"

"Password." Minako confirmed.

"A little obvious, don't you think?"

"So obvious that no one would think of it."

Usagi smiled, "You always were glib. Well, I think we'll cure you of that right now." She opened her pet store box. Opening the trunk that held Rei just a hair, she began to stuff rats inside. Rei's shrieks of terror froze Minako's marrow.

"Play nicely now." Usagi cooed before returning to the computer.

"Usagi, you sadistic bitch! What the hell happened to you?" Minako screamed.

Usagi's reply was calm, "What happened to me? I met Ami. That blue-haired bitch took everything from me, my family, Mamoru, everything. I just want to return the favor. Ah, here we are."

She opened the email Ami had sent the day after they had moved into the house. The message included addresses, telephone numbers, and pictures of the beautiful log home that Oso's ancestors had built. Usagi fired up the printer.

"Please, Momma," Rei wept, "Please, get the rats away from Rei, Momma. Rei doesn't like the rats."

Minako spoke in a calm, soft, reassuring voice, while furiously working to get herself loose, "Don't worry, Reiko. I'm coming. I'll get the rats off of you."

Rei was delirious with fear, "Hurry, Momma! HURRY!"

"Well." Usagi announced, standing up and making for the door, "I'm off to kill Ami. Any messages you want me to pass along?"

"Go fuck yourself." Minako snarled.

"Will do. Bye-bye."

l-l-l-l

It was an hour after Usagi left that Makoto returned. Minako had managed to get herself loose and let Rei out of the chest. Poor Rei was nearly insane, babbling gibberish while Minako held her. The Succubus took all of her fury against Usagi out on the rats. Tearing each on apart and imagining their squeaks as Usagi's screams.

"What happened?" Makoto asked with concern, kneeling next to them.

"Usagi came back. She knows where Ami is, now. We have to warn Ami."

Makoto was on her feet again, checking her purse for her bank card and her passport, "Stay here and take care of Rei. Lock all of the doors and windows. Don't go out for anything and keep a sharp eye out." She called in her authoritative, Lieutenant-Kino-Makoto, voice.

"Where are you going?"

"The airport. I'm catching the next plane for San Francisco. Ami and Oso are going to need all the help they can get."

Hearing the door slam, Minako held a senseless Rei tighter, "Ami," she whispered, "Please, forgive me." She set Rei in a chair and dashed for the computer. Ami needed to be warned. 


	12. Expecting The Unexpected

"Good morning, I'm Doctor Mizuno-Vega. What seems to be the problem?" Ami breezed as she entered the examination room. The charts in her hand declared the twenty-four year old man was a heavy smoker, ate a diet rich in cholesterol, and, no surprise, was experiencing chest pains.

However, it was a surprise when she spotted a tattoo on the man's right bicep. A tattoo of a fiery eyed Death astride a Pegasus.

"You're very pretty." the young man complimented.

Ami smiled her thanks.

"So, I'm thinking that, next, you get on the table and I'll be the doctor." He suggested with a grin and a wink.

"Well, I don't think my husband will appreciate that." Ami replied, kindly.

"He'll never know." the man assured her.

"He'll find out." Ami undid the top three buttons on her blouse and the man straightened in wide-eyed anticipation, "You're in his regiment."

The man audibly deflated when Ami pulled aside her lapel to reveal her mark. She could see him mulling over her words before recognition dawned, "Mizuno-Vega. Oh my god. You're Oso's wife?"

Ami smiled as she nodded.

The man covered his face in embarrassment and started laughing, "Oh my god. Oh my god. I am _so_ sorry. I did not know. God, Oso's going to_ kill _me."

"Oh, I'm sure he'll take it as a compliment. He's not jealous like that."

"Oh, he'll work me like a dog for hitting on his wife." he moaned.

Ami leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Well, if he does, you come see me and I'll see what I can do." She stood suddenly, "You have an absolutely perfect case of heartburn. Drop by the pharmacy on the way home and pick up some Tums." she began to leave, "Oh, and have a salad every once in a while. A walk in the morning wouldn't hurt, either."

Taking a minute for herself, Ami sat down at a terminal to check her email. She was waiting to hear back from the California Board of Education concerning her decision to enroll her cubs in a private school satellite program.

There was a message from Minako. Ami read over it, and read over it again, and called her husband.

l-l-l-l

"When was this sent?" Oso asked.

"Four p.m. Japan Standard." Ami replied, "She's found us."

"This says Makoto's inbound and-" His cell phone rang, "Speak of the devil." He flipped the phone open, "You'd better be calling me to tell me about how you killed Usagi. Alright, I'm on my way." He signaled Ami, One more for dinner.

l-l-l-l

Makoto slung her backpack off of her shoulders. Ami could always count on the Weretiger to pack light. Makoto had brought only three days worth of clothes and her computer. She carried this pack everywhere. The life of a single Stalker meant she had to be on the move on short notice. Makoto looked terrible, having been awake for the past thirty hours, spending the past twelve of those hours flying coach on an overseas flight.

"Hi, Makoto." Ami greeted, embracing her friend, "Shower, dinner, bed, in that order."

"Ami, I have information on Usagi-"

"I know. She's coming, we can talk about that during dinner but, first, you smell awful so get in the shower. Go on."

"But-"

"My house, my rules. Shower now. I will not have some smelly beast joining us for dinner. I'd like for you to, at least, smell human."

"Hey, I take personal offense to such a remark."

"Okay." Ami replied, "Let me put it this way. You can either shower and eat with us or stay like you are and eat outside. Oso," she called for her husband, "spread the table."

Their dining room table lengthened to accommodate four extra seats. Makoto returned from her shower looking and smelling better. The cubs had already eaten and gone to bed. This would be a private adult conversation, not meant for little ears.

Makoto had the group's full attention as she relayed the latest encounter with the increasingly unstable Usagi, who, apparently, had developed a new found penchant for sadism, "Minako had freed Rei by the time I got back," Makoto reported, "but the damage was done. Rei wasn't physically hurt but Minako's going to have her work cut out for her. I don't think I've ever seen Rei like that. She's been scared before, yeah, but never like that."

"Poor Rei." Hotaru mumbled, "Small space _and_ rats? It never occurred to me that Usagi could be so cruel."

"The greatest cruelty comes from the kindest hearts." Oso said. Everyone simply stared at him, "What? Just because I'm a silly bastard most of the time does not mean that I don't have my wise moments."

"So, what are we going to do about Usagi?" Makoto asked.

"Well, It'll be, at least, a few days before she makes it stateside and that's if she managed to find transportation that night."

"She may have already had something set aside." Michiru pointed out, "Let's not assume that, because she was a klutzy ditz before, she is now."

"True. We have to assume that Usagi has this all planned out."

"Of course she has this all planned out." Ami stated, "you do not spend seven years hunting for a person without planning how to go about it. Usagi, despite appearances, is capable of thinking up and executing a plan. She's not a total idiot."

"Well, not for much longer." Oso joked.

No one laughed, "Under the circumstances," Ami said, "that's really not funny. Going back to what was said before. We should expect Usagi in, at the very least,-"

"About eight and a half days for a direct transpacific sailing route. The most commons ships to make those runs are car-carriers and they travel, on average, twenty-two knots or twenty five miles per hour."

"So, a little more than a week." Ami concluded, "We need to start tightening down on security. I'm thinking alarm systems-"

"Ami."

"-closed-circuit cameras-"

"Ami."

"-twenty-four hour rotating watch."

"AMI!"

Startled from her thoughts, Ami stared at her husband, "What?"

"You're talking about turning this house into a fortress."

"We need to protect the cubs."

"Well, Christ, while were at it, let's lay land mines, dig trenches, have a bunker installed in the basement, and build a wall around the entire property."

Ami glared at her husband, "Sarcasm is not helpful."

"What do you want? We're talking one, inexperienced werewolf against five, military-trained, were-beasts. And, keep in mind, the cubs aren't hardly as helpless as they once were. _If_ Usagi makes it through us, she's going to have her hands full with them."

"I wish I had your confidence." Ami replied, sitting back down.

"Comes with experience, babe. I've dealt with Rogues before, so has Makoto and Hotaru. We know what we're doing. It's going to be okay."

"Usagi isn't stupid but I doubt she's predicted the network we put together specifically for her." Hotaru put in.

"It'll be fine. We'll pull the cubs out of school for an extended vacation. They're already three months ahead in their studies. The measures you're suggesting are too extreme. This is one werewolf, not a seven-nation army."

Ami sat back and thought as talk turned to brighter subjects. She hoped they were ready for whatever Usagi threw at them. She had known Usagi for many years and, if there was one thing she learned, it was that Usagi had a terrible habit of being completely unpredictable when it mattered the most.


	13. Thunderbird

Usagi sat, hunched in the back seat of a Toyota, bound for America. She killed three people to get onto this ship for the exhausting eight day voyage across the Pacific to the land of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Mizuno-Vega family.

Seven long years, it had been. Usagi had lost everything. Her family abandoned her. Mamoru now hunted her. Chibi-Usa would never be born. Crystal Tokyo would never exist. The future was in ruins. All because of Ami and her brood.

It is often said that hindsight is twenty-twenty. Usagi now knew the meaning of this. She had gone over that day countless times. She had been given orders to kill Ami Mizuno but had decided to spare her friend. That's where she had gone wrong. She should had killed Ami while she lay in the bed, unconscious and helpless.

She hadn't expected Makoto to be there. Usagi's orders didn't include the were-tiger and it was a fortunate circumstance that she had thought to bring along a small bottle of ether. Makoto got a face full of spray, blinked, and dropped like a sack of bricks. Usagi should have killed her, too.

And Hotaru, she hadn't expected the youngest member of the group to be present. Hotaru had spotted her coming in and had put herself into position three floors below Ami's window. Usagi would kill Hotaru, eventually, but not until she played another significant role. Hotaru would be the clock that would bring Ami all the faster.

Now, four days into her voyage, Usagi kept herself entertained by running scenarios through her head, each of them involved Ami's execution. And each was more horrific than the first.

Usagi happened upon an idea. Yes. Yes, that would do perfectly. She began to draw up plans for how she would do it. She would need a room with an underground storage area, preferably lockable. She would need hoses, piping, and a six-by-three watertight box. Maybe a little window so Ami's precious cubs could watch their mother die.

l-l-l-l

"Mama, can we get a puppy?" Saeko begged without preamble when she and Ramon had returned from playing with their friends.

Ami laughed, "We'll see."

"That's parent-speak for 'no'." Ramon told his sister.

"Well," Oso suggested, "you could pretend your brother is a puppy."

"But what about me?" Ramon whined.

"Why would a puppy need a puppy?"

"_Daddy_!" The cubs wailed.

"We'll think about it." Ami assured her puckish children, "But, I want to see next month's marks up to _my_ standards."

Both cubs knew that this was practically an assurance of what they wanted, provided she got what she wanted, "We'll go study right now, Mama." Saeko assured her before racing up the steps to their room, with her brother in hot pursuit.

"Do you realize what's coming up soon?" Oso asked his wife, pulling her close and beginning to dance with her.

"What's that?" she asked.

"You're kidding me." He replied, bending her backwards into a dip, "I thought all of you women were the sentimental type. You really don't remember."

"Should I?"

"It's the anniversary of the night we first met."

Oso was unique in the world of husbands. He remembered every single little thing that had to do with anyone else but always forgot about him. _His_ birthdays, _his_ appointments, _anything_ that had to do with a milestone in his life. However, he remembered every anniversary, birthday, appointment, meeting, and pick-up time that had to do with her or the cubs.

"We owe Hotaru so much. Without her, we wouldn't have met, or gotten married, or had these beautiful children to love." Ami murmured, leaning into his embrace.

"Just out of curiosity," Oso began, "What would you have done if, say, Hotaru hadn't been there, that night?"

She shrugged, "Dunno. Probably transformed into Mercury. Why?"

"Just curious. It's something that's been nagging at me for some time."

"Nagging at you." Ami stepped back, "Why?"

Oso shrugged, "No reason. You know me, I'm a 'What-ifer',"

Ami nodded in comprehension. Her husband did like his alternate history writers. He owned every novel ever written by Harry Turtledove, an Alternate History writer, as well as several collections of essays by prominent Historians exploring Alternate History.

"Did Hotaru tell you? There's a Thunderbird in the regiment."

"What's a Thunderbird?"

"They're like Harpies but almost exclusively male. They have a degree of precognitive ability concerning disasters. They don't know what will happen exactly but they're drawn to the site of the disaster and will loiter around there for days or weeks beforehand. This one's from back east, where he's actually a bit infamous. They call him the Mothman. You may have seen him. He's a young guy, twenty-five, very pale."

"I've met him. He was in the hospital the other day, complaining of chest pains. He kept hitting on me."

Oso took a step back and puffed up slightly.

"And before go you off and make his life hell, I explained who I was and he apologized."

Oso nodded, "At least, you know you're a desirable woman, so, from now on, I don't want to hear any of this 'I'm not pretty' bullshit."

"But I'm not like the models in the magazines." Ami complained.

"No, you're not." He conceded, "You're better because you're more realistic. Those girls are super-skinny, almost sickly looking. They're pale and boney and look older then their years. You, however, are well-built. I find women with muscles to be extremely sexy. Those girls are about as interesting as a wet paper bag. You, on the other hand, have had a great deal of life experience and, if someone asked you to, you could fill up an entire afternoon talking about yourself but you wouldn't do that, unlike those girls. I could just keep going on and on about how you're superior to those skinny-ass models in the magazines."

"You always know exactly what to say. How did I end up with you?"

He shrugged, "Bad Karma, man. What goes around, comes around. Maybe you shouldn't have screwed that person over."

"What person?"

"I dunno. Whatever person you screwed over, I guess."

"Well," she replied, "If this is what comes of screwing people over, I should have started long ago."


	14. Stronger

Ami, who had never felt any hatred for her fellow man, felt herself consumed with blackness as she took all of her fury and frustration out on a punching bag, her mind's eye seeing not the life-sized sack of sand but Usagi, the woman she thought was her friend.

Sweat poured from her body as she doubled her speed, growling with effort, anger flashing in her cobalt eyes. Ami had what her husband referred to as "Mood" eyes. The irises of her eyes would change shade, growing lighter or darker in conjunction with her emotions. Anger darkened her eyes to a shade near midnight blue while happiness and contentment turned them into a lovely turquoise. These days, with Usagi at large, she was far from content.

Ami often regretted the decision to change Usagi. She had thought, at the time, that experiencing life as a were-beast would make the girl remorseful. Now, Ami knew she should have just gone with her instincts and shattered Usagi's skull.

She had no qualms about killing Usagi, and Mamoru, for that matter. They both had caused her so much pain and grief, brought such hardship into her life and the lives of others. Though she was not a violent person, by any stretch of the imagination, Ami took the deaths of innocents, her mother, Makoto's parents, Oso's Maria and countless others, personally and she saw it as her duty to protect those that would otherwise fall to the senseless hatred and malice that the Silver League and Red Brotherhood would bring. Hence why she had joined the Night Stalkers.

All she wanted was to live out her life, raise her family, watch her children and grandchildren grow and thrive, in peace. Why was that so much to ask?

Throughout her life, Ami had known war. She had spent much of her childhood and adult life fighting against insurmountable odds, first as Sailor Mercury and then as a Stalker. Each battle had been for her life and she had fought each with such skill and ferocity that would have shocked, even appalled, anybody who didn't truly know who she was, what she was.

She paused for a drink of water and to wipe the sweat from her face and neck. Her muscles stood out in sharp definition against her skin. Her years of intense physical training had run the baby fat from her and, now, even she had to admit, her clothes fit her most attractively. She still blushed whenever she noticed other men staring at her. Her husband, ever the comedian, often ordered them to "Drool, fools". But he never did that in public, fearing that his wife would die of an acute attack of embarrassment.

She sighed with weariness, not from her workout but from the lack of proper sleep the night before. Oso, in all of his infinite wisdom, had allowed the cubs to watch some horror movie and, as such, Ami had spent most of the night convincing the cubs that demonic dolls simply did not exist. When that failed to comfort them, she told them that their heroine, Sailor Mercury herself, would watch over them. It wasn't exactly a lie.

Michiru was excelling in her training, driven by the need to be prepared when Usagi arrived so she could exact her vengeance for Haruka's brutal murder. Hotaru was wandering the forest surrounding the house, the cubs were studying in their rooms, and Oso was with his regiment.

"You know," Ami mused, speaking to no one in particular, "it's odd how we 'monsters' have world-wide peace and international cooperation while the humans still war over petty differences."

"That's because they're too proud and stupid to see past those differences." Oso replied, startling her. It was amazing how, even with her powerful hearing, she never heard him enter a room. He went to her and wrapped her in his arms, "So much stronger you are now than when I first met you."

"I have you to thank for that." she murmured, nuzzling his shoulder.

"You were so shy. Always blushing. You look so damn cute when you blush."

"Corrupting innocent youth, you should be ashamed of yourself."

Most of their friends marveled at how, after seven years of blissful, yet stressful, marriage, they were still so lovingly playful with each other and had often asked about their secret. Their answer, always, was that they appreciated just how different they were from one another and their strengths as well as their weaknesses.

"Remember that day we were walking in the park and it started raining?" He asked.

"Sentimental fool." she growled, "How could I forget?"

They had been soaked completely through when they found a large gazebo hidden in the trees, from view of any passerby who might fancy a soggy stroll in the abandoned park. That was the first time they had truly bonded, without the cubs to distract them. Talking had turned to petting, petting to cuddling, and cuddling to sex and it was well after dark when they returned home to a full house and a frantic Makoto, who had convinced herself that Usagi had gotten them, ready to mount a search party.

But there was always that one point at the back of her mind, "She'll be here soon, you know." Ami murmured.

"I know." He sighed.

"I'm scared, Julio." She only used his given name when she desired to impress upon him the seriousness of the topic, "I'm scared for the babies."

"It's going to be okay, Ami-bird. I promise you that she will not harm our children."

"She came so _close_ last time, so very close. If I hadn't woken up when I did-."she trailed off, afraid that even thinking of those events would bring them to pass.

"I shouldn't have left you."

"You needed to sleep. You had been awake for days."

"I could have slept in a damn chair."

"You didn't know. I can't fault you for that. It wouldn't be right."

"_I _can fault me for that. It's my duty to protect you and them."

She swatted his chest, "Stop that! Stop that, this instant! I will not have you blaming yourself again. It wasn't your fault. If you say 'I failed' one more time, I will beat the shit out of you, do you understand?"

He simply stared at her, mouth agape and eyes wide. Yes, she was so much stronger than when they had first met, "Yes, ma'am." he mumbled, thoroughly cowed by his petite wife. What would the Stalkers say? Then again, the Stalkers didn't know Ami Mizuno-Vega.

"Good." she replied, thumping his shoulder for emphasis, "Now, what we need to do is get ready for Usagi's arrival."

He saluted, "Yes, General Ami."

"And I will not have you smarting off, is that clear?"

"Ma'am. Yes, ma'am."

Ami's mouth twisted into a grimace. She hated it when Oso was smart with her, even though she knew it was his little way of telling her that she was acting ridiculously. Turning away, she pulled off the padded, fingerless gloves she used when training and set them on a table. She used the leather gloves to protect her hands. It would not do for a doctor to have the scuffed knuckles of a street-fighter. People might wonder if she was participating in amateur cage fights in her spare time. The unbidden mental image of her standing, bloodied and victorious, in the center of a cage, while her unconscious opponent was dragged away, brought fourth a chuckle. Oso would certainly get a kick out of it.

Even though Usagi's arrival was imminent, Ami felt less trepidation as the days passed. Now, she was nearly to the point of sheer apathy. Let Usagi come. The woman would not leave the house alive, or even in one piece. The woman dared to threaten Ami's children? Very well, she would face the consequences of angering the Alpha-female of the pack. Ami was no longer the weak, naïve, innocent creature she had been before and Usagi was foolish indeed if she thought otherwise.


	15. Happy Birthday

Oso tightened his grip around his wife, hugging her close, "Happy birthday, baby girl."

Ami gave him a soft kiss before returning to her vanity table. Tonight, he was taking her out on the town for dinner and dancing for her twenty-eighth birthday. A little place on the San Francisco bay, called _The Grotto,_ that he had discovered a couple of days before and immediately made reservations. Tonight was for her and him. Tomorrow, they would celebrate with the rest of the family with a small quiet party. However, if Ami knew her husband, it would be anything but and she trembled with anticipation over what he had in store for her. He, as always, was very vague on the details of anything he had planned.

"But where are we going?" she asked again.

"A place you'll love, I'm sure." He replied, giving her shoulders a brief massage before continuing with his own ritual for going out. Hotaru would be watching the cubs. Michiru was training with Makoto, who had taken over Oso's regiment for the next couple of days.

Ami glanced in the mirror in time to see her husband slip a small wrapped box from a drawer in his nightstand to the pocket of his coat and she smiled to herself. No doubt her husband had bought her another piece of jewelery. He had promised her, after the wedding, that he would see her outshine the stars if it made a beggar out of him and he was well on his way to fulfilling that promise. Her jewelery box and vanity table was covered in various necklaces, rings, and bracelets. Enough to make even a jaded Hollywood diva green with envy. However, Ami was never one for flash, keeping the parts of the collection she actually wore small and inconspicuous, down to only her wedding ring, her engagement ring, her sapphire pendant and a precious bracelet Oso had bought her for her twenty-fifth birthday, interlinked dolphins with diamond eyes. She wore the other pieces so as not to offend her husband but these were her absolute favorites and, despite her assurances that she had plenty, Oso would buy her another artful, beautiful, and, surely, _expensive_ piece. Although, he never let on about the price, quoting either an astronomically high figure or a ridiculously low one. No matter what she threatened, he would not reveal the amount he spent on her.

She shook her head in wonder, simply amazed that she managed to find such a loving husband who was perfectly content to completely spoil her.

l-l-l-l

Finally, after such a long and tedious trip, Usagi was out of the cargo hold of that ship and into the fresh air. She had finally made it to America and was now that much closer to having Ami. She was close. Usagi could smell the woman in the air, feel her along every fiber of her being. Usagi forced herself to calm. To get over-excited now would ruin the entire plan. And it was such an excellent plan, as well. After seven long, hard, painful years, Ami Mizuno would die, and her wretched family with her. It was even more fitting that Usagi's plan would set into motion on Ami's birthday

"Happy birthday to you." Usagi sang to herself as she took to the rooftops and headed for Ami's house.

l-l-l-l

"Now, emergency numbers are on the refrigerator." Ami instructed as Hotaru followed her to the door.

"Yes, Ami."

"There's also twenty for pizza on the counter. They deliver out to here."

"Yes, Ami."

"The cubs have school in the morning so they must be in bed by nine o'clock. Don't let them fool you into thinking they're allowed to be up later. Nine o'clock sharp."

"Yes, Ami."

Ami paused, another set of obvious instructions ready, when she saw the wry look Hotaru was giving her and realized just how mature the girl...the young woman...was, "I keep forgetting that you're not the little girl you once were. Michiru raised you right, Hotaru, and I know my children couldn't be in better hands."

Hotaru smiled and nodded her thanks for the compliment, "Don't worry about us. I know for a fact that Oso has a night to remember planned for you so go ahead and enjoy yourselves. Forget about Usagi for an evening. We'll be alright here."

Ami smiled, feeling herself relax for the first time in ages, "Thanks."

Oso came up the stairs from their basement bedroom, donning his suit jacket, "You ready?"

"Yes." He helped her into her coat as she called up to her studious children, "Cubs, we're going now. Be good for Hotaru and finish your homework and, maybe, we'll talk more about that puppy."

Twin cheers erupted from the two sides of the upstairs hallway, causing the grown-ups to grin and giggle, recalling such a time in their lives when getting a puppy was a cause for celebration.

"We'll be back before midnight." Oso told Hotaru, pulling her close for a one-armed hug and slipping a hundred into her pocket for "unforeseen expenses". "Have fun and don't let those two get under your skin."

"Thanks, Uncle Oso." She replied, removing the bill and slipping it back into his pocket, "And try to keep her from worrying too much to enjoy her birthday."

"Oh, don't you fret. I've got it all planned out." He said with a wink, "After midnight, the party's just getting started." With that, he linked arms with Ami and started for the door, "Come, milady, your carriage awaits."

l-l-l-l

Here and there Usagi took in the scents. One was Ami's and an older, more faded scent of a creature in heat. No doubt that perpetually horny bastard Oso. Usagi loitered in the forest for some time after they left.

Nearly an hour into her surveillance, a second car pulled up. The young man who climbed out held a large package in his hand. Usagi breathed deep of the soft spicy fragrance of pepperoni pizza. Mouth watering and mind reeling with memories of pizza runs with her friends, Usagi watched the delivery boy knock on the door.

There was a moment before Hotaru answered the door. She was even kind enough to give the pizza boy a handsome tip for his troubles and flirt with him a little. As she watched him reenter his car, Usagi considered for a moment the one part of her brilliant plan that she had overlooked. Namely, how she would transport Hotaru and the cubs to her little hideout, which was several miles away. There was no way she could carry all three of them, even if they were bound and unconscious.

But, a stroke of sheer luck hit like a bolt from the blue. There, hidden originally but revealed by the headlights of the pizza boy's car, was a silver sedan. No doubt it belonged to either Ami or Hotaru. Usagi smiled to herself and began to advance on the house. Everything was falling into place after all.

Hotaru, nitwit that she was, had left the door unlocked and Usagi took a moment to Change before she entered Ami's home. The scent of her prey all over the place was maddening and nearly drove her to distraction. Hotaru and Ami's two little cretins were sitting at the kitchen island, happily munching on supper.

"Where's mine?" Usagi asked innocently.

Hotaru's fair complexion paled considerably as she took in Usagi. She slowly straightened and came around the island, eyes darting as she sought an escape route. None was forthcoming and she took the only option available, "Saeko. Ramon. Go into the basement. Lock the door behind you, and do not come out until I say it's alright."

"Aunt Hotaru-" Saeko began.

Hotaru fished her henshin wand from the back pocket of her jeans, "Don't argue, just do as I say." she replied calmly, putting herself between Usagi and the cubs.

Usagi made no move as she watched the cubs disappear into the basement, eyes glittering with malice, "'Aunt Hotaru'? Oh, how sweet."

"I've been waiting for you." Hotaru hissed.

"I'm sure you have. That's why I caught you completely off guard."

There was a flash of violet light and, as the light faded, Saturn stood, eyes glowing, and ready for vengeance.

A low, repetitive thumping filled the room as Usagi clapped her paws, "Very impressive, Hotaru. No, in all seriousness, I am thoroughly impressed." She smiled, "There's just one thing you've forgotten."

"Oh? Care to remind me?"

Usagi's grin grew wider, "You've forgotten just how much I hate all of you."

Hotaru leaped for Usagi, her Silence Glave held high for the lethal blow but Usagi caught her, flinging Hotaru with enough force to send her through a wall and into the next room. Hotaru carefully pulled herself from the rubble, blood oozing from a cut above her eye Usagi moved with deadly speed, crushing one of Hotaru's hands beneath a massive paw and forcing the vampire to relinquish her hold on her weapon. She seized Hotaru by the collar and slammed her, head first, into the stone mantle. Hotaru tried to regain her feet and fight back but she stumbled as her world spun sickeningly. Usagi picked her up a second time, throwing her through a window into the yard beyond.

"Now, where did those little ones get to?"

"Usagi."

Usagi turned as Hotaru climbed back through the window, huge shards of glass glittering from her back, mixing with the gleam of her blood. "Big strong bitch like you." Hotaru rasped, "You can do better than that."

"Look at you." Usagi replied, "I've barely broken a sweat but you, you're covered with blood."

"I'm still standing." Hotaru retorted.

Grabbing a dining room chair, Usagi flung it at the vampire, "Why don't you have a seat?" she cried as the chair collided with Hotaru, knocking her to the floor.

"Really bad one-liners belong in the manga, you mangy fleabag." Hotaru growled, picking herself back up and standing tall with all of the bravado of someone who knew they were about to die.

Usagi grabbed a handful of Hotaru's hair and slammed her, again, into the stone mantle. With this final blow, Hotaru crumpled to the floor.

"Aunt Hotaru!"

A small bundle of flying fur hit Usagi like a freight train as Saeko came to Hotaru's aid. Usagi took a handful of scruff and flung the cub through another wall.

"You leave my sister alone!" Ramon cried as he scaled Usagi's back and bit deeply into her shoulder.

Usagi howled in pain as she struggled to grab the werewolf that had attached itself to her shoulder. She snagged his tail, ripped him loose, and swung him around, slamming him into a support beam.

The ball of fur came back, striking Usagi with all of the force of a cannonball, only this cannonball had teeth and claws and a really foul mouth.

"I do hope your mother didn't teach you to speak like that." Usagi growled, tossing Saeko away. These two were proving to be tougher than she expected. Good for them but all that told her was that she didn't have to hold back anymore.

Gripping a handful of fur, Usagi flung Saeko into the ceiling. The were-bear crashed through the ceiling on the way up and on the way down. She lay amid a pile of plaster and board broken by her descent.

Usagi smiled at the damage she had wrought. There would be no turning back now, not that she wanted to.

l-l-l-l

"Hotaru, we're home." Ami called as they returned to the house. The house was brightly lit but Ami could smell something subtle in the air.

"Blood." Oso growled, giving voice to her thought and setting her on edge.

Both of them split up, racing throughout the house in a desperate search for their children, or Hotaru, or anybody. When Ami saw the state of her house, the massive holes in the walls and the ceiling, the smashed glass and furniture, her blood ran cold. They had let down their guard only once, only _once, _and Usagi had used that opportunity to strike.

"They aren't downstairs." Oso reported, coming back up from the basement, "Did you check the-" His words broke off as he too saw the aftermath of the surely epic battle that had taken place within the four wall of their home.

Ami could feel her body weaken as she turned to her husband, never before feeling so helpless as now, "Julio, where are my children?"

And, with those words, her entire world shattered.


	16. Distrust

Oso paced the kitchen while Ami, Michiru, and Makoto looked on. Both Ami and Oso had changed from their evening attire to their uniforms, knowing that war was on the horizon. The rubble in the living room had yet to be cleaned up but that could wait. Right now, they had bigger worries. Usagi was in possession of the cubs and, possibly, Hotaru as well. They were all fairly confident that she wanted, not only the cubs, but Ami too. It was entirely possible, given Usagi's new found sadistic streak, that she would seek to "punish" Ami by making her witness the execution of her children or vise verse, forcing the cubs to watch Ami's death. One thing was certain, they had all underestimated Usagi and it would cost them.

More for the need to do something, rather than sit and wring her hands, Ami decided to fetch something for everyone, perhaps a beer to calm their nerves and allow them to relax a little so that they might think more clearly. She opened the refrigerator and spotted Hotaru's blood packs, neatly organized and labeled so that she could keep track of just how much she had drank. Each pack was labeled for each day of the week.

"Michiru, did Hotaru drink today's blood?"

Michiru shook her head, "I don't think so. She typically drinks around ten-thirty but the time change has got her all screwed up. Why?"

"I just wanted to make sure that this was today's bag and not one for next week, or something." Ami replied, holding up the bag in question. Her eyes widened as a thought struck her and she scrutinized the pack before turning to her husband, "Do you know what this means?"

He nodded, "Usagi has just set our mission clock. If Hotaru didn't have any blood today, we have twenty-four hours to find them before one or both of the cubs die."

"What do you mean?"

"Vampires need to eat every thirty-six to forty-eight hours." Ami informed her, drawing on her recollection of _Brotherhood of Blood_, "If she goes more than forty-eight hours, she may lose control of herself and attack one of the cubs. She drank yesterday's blood, but not today's. Which means that we have twenty-four hours to find them before Hotaru attacks one or both of my children."

Makoto groaned as she hid her face in her hands, "What is going on here?" She muttered.

"I've been asking myself that same question for nearly nine years now." Ami replied, "We have no time for messing about. Time is against us and lives are at stake. Makoto, fetch your computer and bring up that tracking program of yours."

As Makoto took off to see to it, Oso began to get curious, "I can see the gears whirring in your head. What exactly do you have planned?"

"Remember when I insisted to seeing to the cub's medical care, myself?"

He nodded, "Because it would save us money." His eyes widened and she loved his expression as realization dawn, "And you put something in the cubs in the event something like this ever happens?"

"Their second mumps inoculations, I inserted a tracking chip into the muscle of their right shoulder, just inside the shoulder blade."

She watched a smile stretch his lips, "Clever girl."

"Find the cubs, we find Usagi." Michiru mused, unnecessarily.

Makoto returned with the computer across her arm, already typing out commands, "The good news is, they haven't gone far. They're location is some sort of building at the intersection of Ridgewood and First Avenue."

"That's an abandoned firehouse." Oso said.

"Why would the city abandon a perfectly good firehouse?"

"They got a larger building to house a larger fleet and put the other one up for sale. To my knowledge, it hasn't been purchased."

Ami was already pulling on her jacket and heading for the door. Oso stopped her, "Where do you think you're going?"

"To get my children." She replied, wondering why this wasn't already obvious.

He shook his head, "Not without us, you aren't. You're going to wait for the rest of the Stalkers to get together and make a plan before we do anything. You going into this alone is exactly what she wants and beyond foolhardy."

"We have no time to waste." she retorted.

"I don't like this either, baby, but we need to go about this logically and make a plan."

"No, _you_ make a plan. _I'm_ going to save my children."

He seized her arm in a vise-like grip, "Woman, if I have to tie you to a chair to keep you from running off and doing something stupid, I will."

Ami could see that fighting with him would get her nowhere. She would have to be sly, now. She pinched the bridge of her nose, "Fine, I'll wait. I just need some air." Without waiting for a reply, she headed for the door, pausing to rest her head against the door frame for a moment, so that her husband wouldn't see her grab a set of keys from the hook on the wall, before slipping out the front door.

He had not noticed that she swiped the keys. However, he did notice when his motorcycle fired up, "That damn, conniving, selfish, stupid, she-bitch." he snarled, bursting out of the door in time to see her race down the driveway and into the night.

l-l-l-l

Hotaru slumped into one corner of the cell that held her and Saeko. She had ordered the child to the opposite corner, as far from her as possible. Hotaru knew that she, not Usagi, was the biggest danger to Saeko.

"Aunt Hotaru?"

Hotaru knew that, with her injuries, she would need blood sooner than usual. She would normally have twenty-four hours before the hunger would control her. As badly injured as she was, she might have three or four hours.

"Aunt Hotaru?"

She had to ignore the child's plaintive pleas. Already, she was beginning to feel the hunger, feel it consume her consciousness. She wished she could fall asleep and forget about the hunger until they were rescued but the hunger would not let her. Not until it was slaked would it allow her to do anything. She was a slave to her need for blood.

"Aunt Hotaru?"

Hotaru let out a tiny snarl before forcing a smile and turning to the girl, "Yes, sweetie?"

Saeko had folded up in her corner, looking small and frightened. She watched Hotaru, debating who would be more dangerous, her beloved aunt or the psychopathic werewolf, "Are you okay? You look like you're really sick."

Hotaru suppressed a shudder as she stared at her niece, all of that blood flowing through the child's veins. The beat of her heart, warm and fluttering. Just a tiny sip, just to make the hunger go away.

She forced herself deeper into the corner, trying to melt into the wall. If she attacked the girl to satisfy her own selfish need for sustenance, Ami would never forgive her, "I-I'm fine, Saeko. You just stay in your corner, over there."

"But, I'm scared. I want to be over there with you."

"NO!" Hotaru roared, startling the girl. She was shaking with the hunger. She didn't know how much more self-control she had. If the child came any closer... Hotaru was terrified of losing control, "Just stay over there, please. I know you're scared, honey. I'm scared too. But you have to stay over there. Promise me, you'll stay over there."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Saeko, promise me you'll stay on that side of the cell and not come over here."

"Yes, Aunt Hotaru, I promise."

Hotaru nodded, "Good girl." She returned to her brooding, trying to envision herself as being alone in the cell. Maybe, if she convinced herself that she was alone, it might be easier to keep control. She promised herself that she would die before she attacked the girl. The only problem was, would she be able to control herself long enough to die?

l-l-l-l

Usagi hummed, merrily, to herself as she double-checked the locks, hinges, and the general airtight quality of the small coffin-like box. Pipes ran from the far wall to holes beneath the box and a small plexiglass window would allow any outside observer to see the goings-on inside the box.

Nearby was a large, opaque metal door that led to the room holding Hotaru and Saeko in confinement. The room had been some kind of locker room and was fitted with showers, toilets, and sinks. The door was large, thick, heavy, and could only be operated from the outside. Even Usagi was surprised at her own luck at finding such a place. Still, it was about damn time that her luck turned around.

"She'll tear you apart." The werewolf cub yelled at her. She had left him separate from his sister and Hotaru, mostly so he could distract Ami, but his constant threats were beginning to annoy her, "She'll kill you for taking us and hurting Aunt Hotaru."

"You keep thinking that, you little bastard. Whatever makes you happy. But, despite what you certainly do keep saying, your mother is going to die, tonight. And, _you_ get to watch." Usagi replied, standing the box on it's end and opening the top.

These threats had been passed back and fourth ever since the boy had woken an hour ago and his constant yammering, so much like her brother's, was beginning to drive her up the wall.

From the floor above came the sound of breaking glass. Ami had arrived. Usagi shoved a cloth into the werewolf cub's mouth. The last thing she needed was for him to warn her prey. She could hear hurried footsteps throughout the floor above and onto the second floor as she slipped into her hiding place.

l-l-l-l

Ami searched as quickly and quietly as she could, resisting the urge to call out to her children. She was frantic to find her babies before Usagi had a chance to do anything to them. Already it had been, at least, six hours. Why was it, she mused to herself, that traffic was always the heaviest right when one needed to be somewhere.

Up a flight of spiral stairs, she raced for the second floor. The entire firehouse was silent and still. Debris and dirt littered the floor and the air smelled of mold, like her grandfather's attic. This place had been abandoned for some time. Nobody had tread these floors in, at least, a decade and, for a moment, Ami feared she was at the wrong location.

Returning to the ground floor, she was preparing to leave when something caught her attention. There was a sliver of light shining beneath a door. There shouldn't be any light at all here, the electricity would have been turned off shortly after this place was vacated. Carefully, Ami pushed the door open and ventured down the stair, pausing every few steps to listen for whoever or whatever awaited her at the bottom. The silence was deafening and made her feel so very tiny and insignificant.

Her eyes and ears swept the room for any signs of life. She almost immediately spotted her son but continued to survey the area as she moved towards him. Usagi would not have left them alone, at least, not for long.

Crouching down before her cub, she pulled the gag from his mouth, "Are you hurt?"

Ramon shook his head and Ami gave him a smile, "You're such a brave boy and I need you to be brave for just a little longer while I find your sister and Hotaru. Then, we'll go home and see daddy. Can you be my brave boy for just a little longer?"

He nodded and then, suddenly, looked to his left. Ami followed his gaze and saw Usagi standing not an arm's length away, smiling down at them both. Ami snapped to her feet and stood between her child and her enemy.

Usagi swung, striking Ami in the chest with a massive, ham-sized, paw. Ami stumbled backwards with the force of the blow and into a tiny, dark box, which toppled over with the impact of her body and sealed her inside.

Ami pressed against the lid of the box but the fall had engaged some kind of latch, locking the lid in place. She tried to Change but had no room to do it in. She would crush herself before she reached full size and broke out.

Centered right over her face was a small, plexiglass window. Usagi leaned over it, with a tearful Ramon in her arms. She grabbed one of his hands, so tiny in her own, and forced him to wave.

Ami realized that Usagi was forcing him to wave "Good-bye" as icy water began to rush into the sealed box.


	17. The End Of It All As It's Known

Ami fought the panic that rose with the water. The box was too small for her to Change in and too strong for her to simply break free of.

Though nothing bound her arms and legs, the box, itself, was the restraint, making all but the smallest movements next to impossible. She balled her hands into fists and flexed her shoulders, trying, with all of her strength, to push free of her watery prison, even though she knew it was in vain.

And, there was another problem. Even _if_ she managed to break free, Usagi would be waiting for her and would surely tear her to pieces before she had a chance to recover. Her options were death by drowning or death by mutilation and neither appealed to her.

She shifted and felt something press against her thigh. Of course. She had forgotten that she had brought it with her but she hadn't used it in years. Would it still work? Still, it was her best option and certainly a viable method of defeating Usagi.

Ami slipped her fingers into her pocket and dug out her henshin wand.

l-l-l-l

Everything had gone exactly as Usagi wanted. Her plan had worked perfectly and Ami had walked right into her trap. She listened to the woman's struggles to break free as the water level rose higher. In a moment, Ami would drown.

But as the sounds of Ami's struggles abruptly ceased, Usagi began to get curious. It was much too soon for the woman to have drowned, she expected another two or three minutes, at least. Usagi crept over to the box and peered through the window. What she saw chilled her to the bone. Ami was still very much alive, lips stretched into a victorious smile as she was enveloped in a blinding blue light.

Usagi stumbled back, covering her eyes in pain as water spread across the floor. The box had completely disintegrated with the power of Ami's transformation. When she could finally risk opening her eyes again, Usagi blinked several times, trying to rid herself of the afterimage of that light. Her vision cleared and her heart stopped. Her entire plan was now in ruins.

Sailor Mercury stood tall, proud, wet, and very angry, in the middle of the floor, arms crossed over her chest, as she fixed a most ferocious glare upon the object of her hatred.

A thin whine escaped Usagi's lips, "How?"

"After all of these years, the henshin wands work off of the power of the Silver Crystal. You are still in possession of the Silver Crystal." 

"You've always wanted this." Usagi accused, "Ever since that day in the hospital, you've wanted this."

Ami shook her head sadly, "No, Usagi. I never wanted this. I wanted you to learn about the lives you were preparing to take, to learn about us. I thought your better nature would win out. If you had come to me, sincerely apologetic, then I would have gladly helped you, sheltered you. But, instead, you chose to hate me for what you had done. You chose to cast blame everywhere except where it belonged, and now, not only because you attacked my family but because of what you did to Rei and Haruka as well, I can no longer allow you to live."

"Oh? So, you are God, now? Allowing me to live?"

"No, Usagi. I am not God. I am, however, a mother, a Senshi, and a Night Stalker. I have the duty to protect the innocent from those, like you, who would bring them harm. Tsukino Usagi, this ends tonight." Ami declared, tensing her entire body.

Usagi showed a predatory grin, "I would love nothing more. I have dreamed of this night for ages."

"As have I." Ami's voice had developed a steely edge, an edge that was reflected in her eyes. This nightmare would end tonight and only one, either Usagi or Ami, would walk out of here alive. Usagi was a dangerous foe. Unlike Ami, she had nothing to lose. She would be willing to take risks. She would be completely unpredictable.

Ami felt she needed to level the playing field. She backed over to the stairwell, never turning her back to the werewolf, and pressed her hand to the bannister. immediately, a thick layer of ice covered the railing, leaving several massive icicles hanging from it. She selected the largest one and broke it loose. Holding it in a tight fist, she sent her power through it, turning it into an icy-blue blade. With the sword in her hand, she felt all of her years of combat training come back to her.

Usagi leaped at her and she feinted to the right, dodging teeth and claws. She was already a werewolf so Usagi's claws wouldn't have much of an effect on her, unless you counted disembowelment as an effect. Still, it was best that she avoided Usagi's attacks if she wanted to live to tomorrow.

Sliding through a gap in Usagi's guard, Ami tried to drive her blade into the werewolf's abdomen but Usagi shifted at the last moment and Ami only managed to nick the flesh. Usagi snarled in rage and twisted, biting down on Ami's arm.

Ami heard, more than felt, the bones of her arm snap like dry twigs. Her arm suddenly became very weak and she was unable to hold her sword. She reached out and caught it in her left hand, swinging the blade up and delivering a solid blow to the back of Usagi's head, forcing the werewolf to let go of her.

Usagi was stunned by the force of the blow, which allowed Ami a few precious moments, while her foe recovered, to assess her injuries. She alternately flexed and relaxed the muscles in her lower arm and winced as she felt both bones grinding. Her arm was completely broken and now useless. She wasn't ambidextrous and would now would have a hard time fighting with her left hand. Worse yet, she would be unable to perform the motions that accompanied the incantations for summoning her powers.

Ami allowed her now useless right arm to dangle at her side as she prepared herself for battle once more. A dark rage she never knew existed welled up within her as she thought of her children, alone and frightened, at the mercy of a madwoman.

Usagi rose to her full and considerable height and let loose a mighty roar. Ami could see the blood seeping from the tiny wound near Usagi's hip. The pain in her arm was dulled by the adrenaline flowing through her blood, allowing time to, seemingly, slow as she watched Usagi. Oso was partially right. Though Usagi was a formidable foe, she was not the trained warrior that Ami was.

The two opponents squared off and began to circle each other, searching for a weakness. The room was completely silent, save the click of Ami's boot heels and Usagi's low growls. Ami steeled herself against her fear of the monster. Usagi could, surely, smell fear and would exploit it in any way possible. The fact that she was so very angry helped Ami hide her terror.

Usagi suddenly lunged forward, paws spread wide, to grab Ami, who, suddenly wasn't there. Ami leaped up and over, swinging her blade in a lethal arc as she tumbled through the air. A brief, sharp pain gave Usagi pause and she turned to see her left arm whirling through the air without her. She stared, dumbly, down at the stump of her arm, severed just above the elbow. Stiffly, she turned to where she expected Ami, only to find the space empty. She blinked, then howled in agony, as a foot of steel erupted from her chest, impaling her powerful heart.

As Usagi's knees buckled and she tumbled to the floor, Ami pulled her sword free and swung again, cleaning removing the werewolf's head.

Ami stood over the headless corpse, panting from exertion and with relief. Her sword slid from limp fingers to clatter upon the floor as tears began to trickle down her cheeks. Usagi is..._was_...her best friend and, as memories of their years of friendship passed through her mind, she felt something precious die along with the woman.

With the back of her hand, she wiped the tears away. Now was not the time for sentimentality. Her children needed her Her son needed to be released and her daughter was locked away somewhere with a starving Vampire.

She turned to Ramon, who was watching her with wide eyes, "Mama, _you're _Sailor Mercury?" He whispered in astonishment.

Ami hoped what she gave was a reassuring smile as she untied him, which was more difficult to do with one hand than she expected, "Yes." was all she said.

"Then, the stories?"

"All true." she confirmed, "But, Ramon, I have to know, where are your sister and Aunt Hotaru?"

He pointed across the room to a big metal door, "Hurry, Mama. Saeko's in there and Aunt Hotaru's hurt really badly. She looked really sick."

She kissed his forehead in relief and gratitude, "Stay here. Your father, Aunt Makoto, and Aunt Michiru should be here in any minute. I need you to stay here and wait for them while I go get your sister and Aunt Hotaru. Can you do that for me?"

Ramon nodded, "Yes, Mama."

As Ami turned and ran for the door, she felt her power begin to fade as she transformed from Sailor Mercury for the last time. Usagi was gone and, with her, the Silver Crystal. The Sailor Senshi were no more.

Gripping the handle of the door's lock, Ami shoved the rusted and neglected mechanism down, moving the two metal bars that held the door in place back, and opened the door. Saeko was curled up in the corner with her chin resting on her knees, watching Hotaru. The moment she saw her mother, the girl opened her arms, wishing to be held. Ami knelt down and obliged her for a moment, stroking her daughter's soft hair and trying to calm the girl's trembling before turning her attention to Hotaru.

The Vampire was in sorry shape, slumped in the far corner of the cell and only semi-conscious. After having gone without her daily blood ration and, on top of that, being injured, which would have required her to take on more blood to replace what was lost, her blood was too thin and oozed from her nose, ears, and the corner of her mouth.

Ami stood and went to her, calling her, but Hotaru didn't stir, obviously too weak from blood loss to remain conscious. Kneeling down, she worked the woman into her lap, settling the Vampire against her shoulder. She tried to think of a way to get Hotaru the blood she so desperately needed but, since she had neglected to bring any with her and there was no telling when the others would arrive, only one option presented itself. Ami pulled a small folding knife, one of her many tools, from her belt and cut open her wrist, letting a small bit of blood drip into Hotaru's slack mouth.

All of the sudden, Hotaru came alive. Her eyes flew open and glowed like burning coals at midnight. She launched forward and, before Ami could react, had latched onto her wrist and was already suckling. Ami, instinctively, tried to pull away but Hotaru had her too tightly. A gentle, peaceful, floating sensation overcame her and Ami remembered reading that Vampires naturally produced a kind of anesthetic in their saliva, which kept their victims in a painless daze while the Vampire fed.

Time seemed to slow for her as dull, unrecognizable, voices filled her ears. Her vision dimmed as a fist, traveling too slowly to be of any effect, swung into her narrowing field of vision and collided with the side of Hotaru's head, knocking the Vampire away. Ami began an endless fall as she watched Hotaru, her face painted crimson, recover and fly back, only to be caught in a slow motion tackle by Michiru. Strong arms caught her and she turned to see her husband, his eyes frantic and his mouth working, mutely, to call her as her body went completely limp and her vision, black.


	18. Hybrid Theories

Terrifying visions filled Ami's dreams. She was too late. Hotaru had lost control and clutched Saeko's tiny body as she drained her daughter's blood. Usagi was near her, casually ripping Ramon apart as if she were opening a wrapped gift. Ami watched in horror as Usagi pulled her son's still-beating heart from his chest and bit into it. She screamed in agony as this horrifying scene unfolded before her.

Everything was silent. Ami found herself not in the blood-splattered firehouse basement but in her own bedroom, staring up at the ceiling as bright sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting beautiful colors to paint the white canvas of walls. Her right arm was in a cast while her left wrist was heavily bandaged. Blood flowed from a bag above her bed to an artery in her arm, restoring what she had given to Hotaru. She tried to sit up but a gentle hand pressed her back down to the soft pillows.

"You shouldn't try to move yet. You're still very weak from all that blood you lost. Try to rest." Oso said, softly.

She reached up and cupped his cheek in one hand, feeling the few days of growth there. "We did it."

He didn't reply, choosing, instead, to nuzzled her hand and bestow kisses upon her soft palm and fingertips before he, abruptly, let her go and stalked to the other side of the room, hooking a thumb to a pocket of his jeans while running his other hand through his hair. It was a habit he had whenever he was irritated, "What were you thinking?" He growled.

"What do you mean?"

"Running off to face Usagi alone like that, offering your blood to Hotaru, knowing very well what would have happened and the laws concerning it. God damn it all, Ami. You could have been killed. Did you even think about how this would have effected the cubs? Or Hotaru? Saeko almost watched her mother die and it's been all we could do to keep Hotaru from taking her own life."

"What?"

"She's been refusing to drink her blood. Michiru and I have had to drug her and give it to her intravenously. I've had to get rid of any and all garlic in the house."

Ami nodded. Vampires were allergic to garlic and would go into metabolic shock whenever they consumed it. It wasn't a pleasant death.

"She blames herself, you know." Oso continued, working himself into a rant, "For all of this. She's apologized profusely to me and I don't blame her. Nobody does. We've had to tie her up so she won't try something while our backs are turned. She's trying to punish herself for what she did to you. She's Changed you, Ami."

Ami blinked, "What do you mean?"

"You know what happens when a Vampire bites another creature."

"You mean?"

"She's turned you. You, Ami, are the first Vampire-Werewolf hybrid. _Ever_."

Ami looked confused, "What does that mean for me?"

Oso shrugged, "I have no idea. You're the first one ever, there's never been one like you before."

"But, surely, there has to be something-"

"No, honey. There's nothing. The Council has a long memory and even they don't know of anything like this that has happened before. I, myself, know very little about Vampires. They tend to be a secretive bunch. What I _can_ tell you is that they're sterile. They can't have children, which is why the Red Brotherhood is such a threat. They are so close to eradicating the Vampire race. Since Vampires aren't allowed to attack humans, and they can't reproduce, they are always on the verge of extinction. As for anything else, I simply don't know. What little I do know for certain may be completely wrong in your case. You may have to drink blood, maybe not. You might have to drink twice the normal amount because of your body size. You may be able to consume garlic, maybe not. I simply don't know." He took several calming breaths, "Damn it all, Ami. What were you thinking? You know better than to tackle a mission on your own, especially one where you have an emotional attachment."

"What did you expect me to do, Julio?" Ami shot back, her own temper flaring, "Just sit here, wring my hands, and hope for the best."

"_Yes!_" He cried, "That's exactly what I expected, and exactly what I would have done."

She scoffed, "Oh, I very much doubt that."

"No, you see, because we would have let our emotions cloud our judgment. We'd have put not only our lives in danger, but the cubs' and Hotaru's as well. That's why I have an entire team of very well trained Night Stalkers at my disposal. The plan was to let the Stalkers take care of Usagi and rescue the cubs _without_ us getting involved. _You_, however, decided to do your own thing, without sticking around to hear the plan, and put everybody's lives in danger." He sighed, "It makes me feel like you don't trust me to take care of things and, if we can't trust each other, this marriage is destined to fail."

Ami saw it now. He wasn't so much angry as he was scared. And, it wasn't her actions that had him so terrified, but their implications for the future of their marriage. He loved her, coveted her, worshiped her, and all that he asked in return was that she trust him to do as he felt was necessary to protect her and the cubs. It was a duty instilled in him, by his father, from the cradle. That she had not trusted him and had, instead, gone off on her own, nearly dying in the process and certainly changing the course of their lives, felt like the most painful of failure. She rose from the bed and went to him, bringing the blood with her.

"I'm sorry." she whispered, trying to keep the tears from her voice and failing. She pressed herself into his embrace, continually murmuring apologies for hurting him like she had. He was silent, simply holding her, thankful that she was still alive for him to berate.

But, she was still too weak from blood loss to be up and about for too long. This became apparent when her knees suddenly buckled. He caught her and carried her back to bed. "I look forward to having you again when you're well enough but, for now, you still need to rest and recover your strength." He told her, "I have to go and see to your children but I'll be back later to check on you."

She nodded and closed her eyes, amazed that such little activity had exhausted her so. She felt his warmth on her forehead as he planted a loving kiss on her temple, "Rest well, baby. Your bear has everything in hand."

l-l-l-l

Michiru and Makoto had left, taking Usagi's remains with them, on a private transport owned by the Stalkers, back to Japan, where she would be given a proper burial. It was always proper to respect your enemy's strength and see them into the afterlife with their due.

Hotaru had decided to stay behind, mostly to teach Ami about how to be a Vampire. She thought it a little strange to be teaching the woman who had tutored her all throughout her high school career. Her need for blood non-withstanding, she still felt terribly guilty about attacking Ami. Oso and the others, God bless them all, didn't lay an ounce of blame upon her shoulders but that didn't keep her from blaming herself.

It was the way Saeko refused to come within an arm's length of Hotaru anymore. The girl would abruptly leave a room whenever Hotaru entered or would go out of her way to avoid her Aunt. Hotaru couldn't blame her. Witnessing the Vampire's attack on her mother, which was nothing short of savage, must have terrified the girl, who had now convinced herself that the same fate awaited her. It hurt Hotaru to see the fear in the girl's eyes and to know that _she_ was the cause of such distress.

Oso was in the living room, reading with Saeko before bed. The little girl was curled up in her father's lap when Hotaru entered the room and sat down, exactly as she had been instructed. Upon spotting the Vampire, sitting across the room and watching her, Saeko immediately tried to hide against her father. She whimpered something up to him that Hotaru couldn't quite make out. Neither could Oso, apparently, because he asked her to repeat herself.

This time, Hotaru heard her little niece clearly and what the little girl said nearly broke her heart, "Make her go away."

Oso quietly denied his daughter's request and began to read again but Saeko's terrified whimpers forced him to pause, once more. Hotaru, herself, was nearly in tears, wishing she had gone with her first instinct, found some wild garlic, and crawled away somewhere secluded to die. Oso had done everything in his power, short of locking her in a cage, to keep her from doing that.

Oso motioned for Hotaru to stay where she was and turned his attention to his child, "Let's talk about this and find out why you're afraid of Aunt Hotaru."

"She already knows." Saeko quietly replied.

"Well, why don't you tell her, just so we can make sure."

The little seven-year-old turned a scornful glare on a once beloved friend, "You hurt my Mama." The girl accused. The words stung not only because they were absolutely true but because the child had known exactly what happened, "You made her bleed and she almost died and, now, she might not be my Mama anymore because of what _you _did."

"No, Saeko." Hotaru objected weakly, wiping a few tears away, "That's not what happened at all."

"Yes, it is." The girl sneered, contempt filling her voice, "You're _bad_ and need to go to jail for what you did."

"That's enough." Oso interceded, "Now, you need to apologize to Aunt Hotaru for your nasty words."

"_No I won't_." Saeko replied, stubbornly crossing her arms, "She's very bad and needs to go away and not bother us anymore."

With two of his fingers, Oso popped his daughter lightly across the cheek, startling the girl into silence, "Now, you listen to me, young lady." He said sternly, "We are not going to be rude and nasty to our elders, do you understand me? We will treat them with respect."

"But, Daddy-"

"No 'buts'." He picked her up and began to carry her upstairs, "You will go to bed, now. And, tomorrow, we're going to talk some more about your attitude. And you _will_ apologize to Aunt Hotaru."

Hotaru stared at her knees, wanting nothing more than to flee the house and do as her niece had commanded and never return but Oso had specifically ordered her to remain in that chair, regardless of how the conversation with Saeko went, until he could return and speak with her privately.

She heard him enter the room but waited until he sat back down before she spoke, "She hates me."

"No. She's simply afraid."

"Of me." Hotaru concluded before pressing her forehead into her palm, "I hate this."

There was a grunt as Oso, who was beginning to feel his age, dropped to the floor and pulled Hotaru into a tight embrace. His little sister was in pain and he didn't like that, "Let it out." He urged.

Hotaru began to tremble as memories of the past month were brought to the surface. Memories of Usagi, of Haruka's murder, of the strong Michiru being reduced to such a frail shell, of attacking Ami, of Saeko's harsh but true words. All of these things had been locked away inside of her and revisiting them now brought a painful burning lump to her throat but she was stronger than this. She wasn't some child that needed to be held when life became too difficult.

"Let it out. You'll feel better."

She hadn't noticed it before but Oso smelled just like Haruka, who had a penchant for men's deodorants and colognes. She remembered her Haruka-papa holding her like this.

"Hime-chan, let it out."

That did it. Oso had used the pet name that her Haruka-papa had given her. How he knew it she hadn't a clue but it had done the trick and her defenses crumbled. In an instant, the stoic Vampire warrior became a small, frightened, girl who wanted nothing more than to be held and comforted. She gripped twin fistfuls of his shirt while she continued to fight a losing battle with her emotions. Her lips quivered as tears flowed freely down her cheeks to soak his shirt. She gasped back a sob, which fought it's way back out on the exhale.

"Good girl." He whispered, gently rubbing her back.

She was so angry at herself. Her failure had led to so much pain for, not only herself, but her loved ones as well. She was angry that her weakness had led to her weeping like a child in her friend's arms But, the sudden release of these painful emotions felt so wonderful, like a massive weight had been lifted from her shoulders and a great pressure released from her chest. And this, made her feel guilty. She hadn't been strong enough to keep control of herself, which made her even angrier.

As Hotaru began to calm, another presence joined them, embracing her from behind. She recognized the scent as Ami who, if the sleep-warmth was any indication, had just woken up. She could feel the bandages around Ami's wrist and the hard cast over her arm and was reminded of her failure to protect the cubs. Even though no one blamed her for what had happened, it was her failure and her's alone.

"It's okay." Ami comforted, "It's okay. It's not your fault."

"It is." Hotaru objected, "I attacked you and you wouldn't have had to come after us if I had protected the cubs from Usagi."

"I gave my blood _willingly_, so that you might live. I care about you, Hotaru, and I have no regrets about what happened. What happened, happened, and there's no use in being upset over it. We cannot change it so we must, simply, adapt and continue. I'm just glad that you and my children are all right. Besides, you can't kill yourself. I need somebody, aside from my useless husband, to teach me how to be a Vampire."

Hotaru gave a watery giggle, "Like, I'm sure, Oso said. You are the first Werewolf-Vampire hybrid so I very much doubt that I could be of much assistance and I'm certain that this will be as much a learning experience for me as it will be for you. However, I'm more than willing to help you."

"Wonderful," Ami proclaimed as she helped Hotaru to her feet, "In that case, we'll begin tomorrow. But, for now, you need to rest and stop with this suicide shit."

Hotaru smiled. She could always count on Ami to be annoyingly logical whenever it was needed most, "Yes, Ami."

Ami was already heading for the stairs, "I'm going to go and see my children."

"Honey, it's nine-thirty." Oso objected.

"And, how much do you want to bet that neither of them are sleeping." She said over her shoulder as she ascended up to the second story and slowly opened her daughter's door.

Oh how very well Ami knew her offspring. Indeed, Saeko was lying awake, staring up at the ceiling. The light from the hallway caused her to glance over,. "Mama, you're alive." she whispered in astonishment.

Laughing, Ami knelt to embrace her child, stroking the downy hair, "Why would you have thought I had died?"

"Well, Hotaru attacked you and there was so much blood and, then, it was like you were sleeping but you wouldn't wake up when me and Daddy kept calling you and Daddy said you had been hurt and lost lots of blood and you kept sleeping for days and days and I thought you would never wake up and Ramon kept crying but I'm a big girl and I don't cry." She informed her mother in the breathless manner of children everywhere before falling back into her arms.

"I heard what you said to Aunt Hotaru." Ami said, gently. "Don't you think you owe her an apology?"

Saeko always responded to her mother better than her father, "Weeerrll," she drawled, "I guess it was kinda mean but she deserved it for attacking you."

"Have you ever been _really_ hungry?" Ami asked, knowing what the answer would be.

"Yes." came the reply, with just a hint of suspicion.

"And, remember when it was time to eat again, and you felt so hungry that you just ate everything and it didn't matter what it was?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's what it was like for Aunt Hotaru. She hadn't had any blood in a really long time and was really hungry. When I gave her that little bit, she didn't realize it was me and attacked, simply wanting to eat and not be hungry anymore."

"Oh. You see, I didn't know that." Saeko said, cocking her head and placing a hand on her hip, "I should go apologize to her right now."

Ami swept her daughter up on her way past, "Tomorrow, you can apologize but, for now, you have to go back to sleep."

"Mama," Saeko asked as she was tucked back in, "Are you sure you're alright?"

Ami kissed Saeko's forehead, "Yes, darling. I'm fine. I love you."

Ramon was dozing when Ami got around to him. For a moment, she considered leaving him alone but, as if sensing her presence, he sat straight up and stared at her. She sat down on the bed with him and ran her fingers through his hair, simply enjoying being with him.

"Mama," he said, at last, "Are you really Sailor Mercury?"

"Not anymore." She replied with a hint of sadness. "Sailor Mercury is gone."

"Is she gone forever?"

"Yes, baby. Forever." She pulled him into her arms and held him tightly, "But, I'm here and I'll protect you."

"No, Mama." Ramon objected, "You'll get hurt again. Besides, I'm a big boy and I can take care of myself."

For a moment, Ami was reminded of one of the last things her mother had said to her, before she died, and could now sympathize completely. It seemed like yesterday that she was making airplane noises to amuse the children while trying to feed them some unidentifiable mash. Now, they were talking, walking, and feeding themselves. The thought that they would, one day, no longer need her brought an ache to her heart. The only solace she could take was that that loathsome day was still many years yet. However, she was still reeling from the speed of the passage of the first seven years of her children's lives. She could only shudder at the premature thought of how quickly the next eleven years would go.

As she descended the steps to the ground floor of the house to rejoin her husband and friend, a small, disturbing thought nagged at her. Now that she was both werewolf and Vampire, would that mean that both the Silver League _and _The Red Brotherhood would be after her? Her inner sense told her the answer and she didn't think she liked it.

_A/N: Dear reader, I have decided to take this topic a little further. It will be some time yet, as I want to work some more on my other half-dozen incomplete stories, but I will add a third and final installment to this story arc._


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